I had a wonderful childhood. We lived in a sprawling city that was always bustling with sights and sounds and smells even into the night. When school was out though I spent the summer living in the village where my parents grew up. Everyone knew everyone there, and a child could walk safely from one end of the village to the end and be watched by relatives or friends the entire way. So it was like a rite of passage when I was allowed to walk home by myself after staying for supper at an auntie’s house. Even if it was less than a hundred meters, I still remember the full moon lighting my way and the pride in my chest. A magical memory…
full moon in August
but i can no longer walk –
to Grandfather’s house
Longing For Water 
Aw such a magical memory. 😀 I also remember walking alone at a young age. Just not safe any more now.
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As an ex-patriot you also understand how we can’t walk those familiar paths any more. 😦
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Sadly, yes. We had such freedom as kids back then.
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There is something beautiful in this, but also a sadness. I too was an urban child, but every holiday was spent in Cornwall with my grandparents in a village by the sea. I could come and go as I chose and made good friends with other children in the village.
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You’re right there is a touch of sadness in that there’s now an ocean between myself and my childhood home. No I don’t regret my current life but that’s another life from another time.
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Which ocean?
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Pacific
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