Growing Up:
             A Reflection Essay on Life
             -Michael Hof
             Do you remember your world when you were a small child? Can you picture a single day as a 3rd Grader? Better yet,
             can you picture one as a kindergartener? Do you remember your old views and dreams? I do.
             I remember my past so very vividly: the games, the friends, the hopes, the ignorant bliss. I remember playing house
             with the girl who would be my first love. We would make Witch's Brew in the back and play Olympics in the front. I
             remember playing twisted games of Ghost in the Graveyard with the rest of the kids on my street. The rules didn't make sense,
             but weren't those the "funnest" games of all? I remember thinking that smoking, drinking, swearing, gangs, and guys getting
             their ears pierced were all bad things. I remember my friends agreeing with me.
             Things change, though, don't they? Whether you want them to or not, they change. As you get older you make little
             exceptions. "Just this once." "One more little thing." "This is the absolute last thing!", and everyone's favorite, "Maybe this
             won't be so bad." It never really stops.
             Change happens without asking, too. Friends move. You move. Fights occur. People just drift apart. People die.
             Change happens. All of this tends to shape that perfect future you once had.
             My life changed way more than I ever wanted it to. I have changed. My family has changed. The city I grew up in has
             changed. But most important, my friends have changed.
             The girl I played with, the girl I loved, shunned me. We haven't spoken in forever. I haven't heard from the guy I
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