Nostalgia

The other day, I was driving into Havana for some groceries. As I pulled up to the stop sign at Schrader and Main, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia so.....intense....I almost started crying. 

The day was one of those bright blue days of October....the sun was warm, but there was a definite chill in the air. I was taken waaaaay back to a day after school....had to have been on a Friday. I was with Sandy, my bestest friend at the time. Even though we went to different schools, she to Havana, me to Balyki, we met in 4th grade and have remained friends all these years. 

We were probably 13 or 14 and we were downtown Havana....footloose and fancy-free. Probably going to the Lawford later to see whatever movie was playing at the time. In the meantime, we had the whole afternoon/evening to just.....BE. Go get a coke and some fries at Bee's. Watch the older kids 'riding around', listening to The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, The Animals...whatever was hot at the time. 

The nostalgia didn't bring about a specific time....it could have been one of many, many. But it made me so very sad to realize those days were gone forever. Those days of thinking school would NEVER be over. Those days of being safe, no matter what we were doing or where we were. Those days of such GREAT music. No cell phones, no 'adult problems'....no worries.

I'd give anything to have those days back, again.