The Good Old Days

When I was a kid, I was happy. Life was great. Now, things are different, but when I was a kid, life was glorious. 

I don’t remember when I was one. I also don’t remember when I was two, but I’m told that was when my little sister Heidi was born. Heidi was adorable and I loved her; she made my days good. 

When I was three, I met my favourite people in the whole world. My two older cousins, Molly and Julia, would play with me all the time and we became best friends. Then Molly and Julia moved away with their mom and I only saw them on holidays. But that didn’t bother me. It made it more special. 

When I was four, life began for real. I met my best friend. Aurora was another cute kindergartener, with gorgeous red ringlets and a bright smile like me. We had the time of our lives together, and we didn’t need anyone else. It’s hard to find special people in this world, but when you’ve met one, you hold on to them. They keep your days good.  

When I was five, my mom and dad needed to talk to Heidi and I. Dad was going to move out, and mom was going to move to a smaller house in town. I would still see my dad, but live with my mom. When I was five, I didn’t understand what that meant; I was just a kid. I didn’t understand what was about to come, so it didn’t bother me. Life was still filled with good days.

When I was six, I was a shining star. In school, teachers discovered that I was smart. While I had trouble focusing, I was extremely bright, so that made up for it. Not only did I do well in school, but I could also understand mature things in life. I lived good days. 

When I was seven, a light was turned on inside me. I became an energetic kid who was always loud and excited. I loved recess, and had tons of friends. We had fun all the time. I was on top of the world. Those were the good old days.

When I was eight, I got into competitive swimming. That became my life for the next five years. I started by swimming twice a week. It was fun and I liked it. Swim practices were a part of the good days. 

When I was 9, I continued to swim. Life also continued to change. Things were slipping away from me. My friendships, my education, my life. Things were changing, but some of the days were good.

When I was ten, the pandemic hit. I lost friends, happiness, education, sports, everything. I was alone in my home. Things started to go downhill. I was running out of good days.  

Sometime when I was eleven, life began to start again. I didn’t enjoy things the way I used to, though. I started to dread swim practice. I also started getting bullied at school, so I began to dread that as well. Things weren’t the way they used to be. There were little good days left. The best thing to do was to remember the good old days. 

As I got older, I began to wake up. Life wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows anymore.

When I was twelve, I matured in many ways. I would not go back to swimming in the fall, a choice I should have made a lot sooner. I was still having a hard time. When I was a kid, I wouldn’t have imagined this future. But those were the good old days. 

When I was thirteen, I was learning many lessons. Things with Mom and Dad were complicated. Things with me, Heidi, and Dad were also complicated. Even worse, me and my mom didn’t even get along anymore. My mom has always been my best friend. I tried to pick up the pieces of my life. Tried to see if I could get it back together. Tried to see if I could go back to the good old days. 

When I was fourteen, the light inside of me went out. There was no motivation anymore. There was no happiness. I wasn’t enjoying the days like I used to anymore. The days weren’t all good. 

In grade eight, I was happy. I had some of the best days of my life. The good old days. I think it was high school that ruined my life. Things are not the same anymore. 

I have lost my friends, I have lost my interests, I have lost my energy, and I have lost my old self. I’m not happy anymore. The old days are over, and I don’t like the new ones. Take me back to the good old days.