17 Major Writing Project 4

Jordan Gates

English 101

Jonathan Lashley

4 May 2024

You, I Mean Me

My childhood was never really easy. Filled with lies, hurt, and instability, good things were hard to come by. However, in 2012 my family moved across the country from little Idaho Falls to Wilbraham Massachusetts. It was a grand new adventure. I was only about 5 at the time and I had just finished kindergarten. It was one long road trip with my Mother, Father, Sister, and Brother. So in a strange new land I found home. Little did I know how much it would teach me.

We previously lived in an apartment before Massachusetts but our new home had two stories and both of them were ours. Did I mention we also had our very own pool! We also had a huge back yard that we didn’t have to share with anyone. My older sister and I got to share a room that came with its very own full bathroom. Since we were no longer renting we could paint the walls and do whatever we wanted. We used some chalkboard paint so we could draw on the walls with all sorts of fun colors. We both had tall loft beds, mine was pink! Under each loft we had a desk and chair that matched our bed colors. It was a dream. A dream that was about to get even better.

Enter our neighbors. Everyone in our neighborhood was lovely but the Hineolds were the best by far. The first time we met the Hineolds my siblings and I were playing in our yard when we noticed a few kids peeking at us behind a tree in the distance. The tree was right on our property line and we wondered where these kids came from. Considering the other side of this tree was a large field leading to a forest and no house in sight they seemed to appear out of nowhere. The three of us, my sister, brother, and I all went to investigate. That is where we met the three Hineolds, our new best friends. One for each of us. They matched our ages almost perfectly. We found out that their house was a few ways down from ours however the field and part of the forest was theirs. We would always meet up at the tree when we wanted to play. We’d run into the forest and pretend we were wolves or cats or hunters. It depended on the day. We had built a whole stick fort out there. The Hineolds were my first real and true friends. My siblings and I loved hanging out with them and shortly after moving a new addition to our family, the youngest brother loved them too. Unfortunately, good things often come to an end.

After three years in paradise we had to move once again. I didn’t understand exactly what was going on seeing as I was only 8 or so at the time. All I knew was I had to leave my home, my school, and importantly my friends. Now that I have grown I realize the complexities of what our situation was. Even knowing what I know now I would give anything to go back to our house. Back to our home. However, moving did teach me crucial life skills.

Had we not moved as much as we did I would have never experienced change. Change is inevitable. I have been able to understand this concept from a very young age. I believe that because of moving from a place of such significance I was able to learn that you can make anything a good thing if you put your mind to it. I learned that change doesn’t have to be a bad thing. From this experience I was able to grow, make new friends, and make a new home. I also realized that just because I am in a new place doesn’t mean I can’t still talk to my old friends. The Hineolds and us wrote letters back and forth. That was until we got phones. I think that the move, though not ideal, was necessary for me. Who knows who I’d be if I stayed in Massachusetts? I mean you can’t change the past, it’s what builds you to be who you are in the present and I like who I am now. I don’t think I would be the same if I hadn’t moved back to good old Idaho Falls.