Day #21.

Took this photo back in 2005 or 2006 at a theme park in Pittsburgh.

     The puzzle pieces consisting of all my problems have been put together, boxed back up, and placed away in the past. Going through these old pictures I found brought back alot of memories, mostly good ones involving friends and family that have shaped me. Others reminded me of the not so good days when my parents yelled at me and I thought it was the end of the world. Many of them stir up the exact emotion I felt at the time I took the photo more than the memory of what occurred before or after the picture was taken.

     Walking through town after a football game was our little group's thing. We used to go to the High Street bridge and aim our spit at leaves on the bottom until our mouths were dry. There were fights, break-ups, make-ups, and never ending teens running across it both for good reasons and bad. One night, I vaguely remember running up to the bridge while it was pouring rain, the drops stinging my face. I was laughing, I remember that well. Everything felt just right, like all the bad was being washed off of me.

     Fox's Pizza Den was a popular place for us as well. We used to play Photo Hunt for what felt like hours, laughing and yelling and smiling from ear to ear until we ran out of money. And when we were broke, we'd go to the playground. Throwing rocks into the river, playing tag, watching the boys play basketball, rolling down hills. Wrestling and horseplaying like the kids we were. But we didn't think we were kids. We knew it all, better than anyone else. How powerful we thought we were, with our curfews and chores. Asking for a ride to a friend's house, begging for just a few more bucks to buy something meaningless. Planning to run away if our rents didn't say yes to anything we asked. Oh so rebellious and headstrong. We nurtured each other through anything and everything. We were one another's comfort during a fight, a bad grade or a rejection. We built confidence and courage for each other before a test or a slow dance. We saved seats for eachother on the bus, at lunch, during study hall and class. It made the worst part of our day diminish when we were together.

     It will feel weird going back to this little town I called home for so long. Everything will look older, including the people. Everyone and everything will look different and the same. It will be hard to go back home, and hard to leave too.

88 days remaining.