Saturday, January 16, 2010

Day 7


11:50 pm - nostalgia

When was seven my friend Elyssa, my brother, and I stuffed clothes, toothbrushes, bottles of water, and snacks into sleeping bags and ran away. By ran I mean walked out the door, down the short road of the cul de sac my family lived on, and hid behind a road sign. I explained to Elyssa that we needed to find a river with soap leaves, which we could use to wash clothes, as I had read in the Josephina American Girl book. If we could settle next to a source of water we could live outside forever. We sat down behind the sign and spread our clothes over the bushes. It was almost perfect. I cracked open a bottle of water and listened to cars whizz past on the main road.

A few minutes later Elyssa's mom and my parents found us. We were scolded for dirtying clothes and not asking permission to leave the house. Mom claimed my clothes were wet, but they were actually just cold. I was grounded and shut in my room to fold all the clothes that were in my sleeping bag. Elyssa and her mother left.

In Arizona, my brother and I never tried to run away. I think it's because the climate and wildlife there are more dangerous. Scorpians, cacti, gila monsters, and the feared rattlesnake kept us close to home.

As a child I felt a deep spiritual bond with nature. I still do, but it isn't the same. Now as I grow older I'm beginning to look for the same connection again. This is why I love Myasaki's films - they make me feel like it's just me, the earth, the sky, and the magical presence of forest spirits.

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