The creek down by the county building was my favorite spot to go in the summer when the weather was hot. I would put on my swim trunks and go play in the cool mud which was on the surface of the creek. I began to forget about the creek and how I spent a majority of my childhood summers in the water where the cows would stand. As I grew older, I matured and became a hardworking man, however, I did not forget about the summer days which I spent in the creek.

My favorite activity in the summer time was going down by the creek and playing in the mud. I was seven years old and I would have to ride my bike down the long lane which led to the creek. My cousins would come home from Illinois and we would build a humongous dam out of sticks and mud so we could play in the deep water. Tall grass grew on the side of the banks of the creek with the cows bale feeder sitting in a distance. The part which made me love the creek was the big open spot in the middle where my dad would drive the tractors threw to get to the other side. I loved that specific area because I was able play in the mud which surrounded the creek. I had some playful memories down at the creek, although, I began to grow out of the play time stage and started to not have time to visit the special area.

I grew older and did not have time to play as much anymore. However, the creek did not change in anyway possible. Fresh cold water always flowed through for the cows, and the tall maple tree which stood over the creek still shades the area. I drive down to the county building to give the cows a bale and I think about how I would play in the stream on the warm and sticky summer days. I felt like even geography could not change the creek or where I played as a young boy. Something was different about the creek, though. The place where I played seemed smaller. I walked over to the edge of the bank and tried to figure out what was so different. I thought maybe I was the one who had changed. The creek and the memories were still the same. I evaluated the situation and realized I was different, although I did not know why.

I figured out I simply grew up and was too big to enjoy the creek anymore. The only thing I loved about the creek was how so many memories were made. My mind was more matured and advanced compared to when I was a young boy when I was fascinated by the flowing water and mud. Physically I was too big to play in the creek due to the height of the water being two feet deep. I could not enjoy the summer cooling off in the creek anymore because I found more magnificent activities to do when the weather is hot. I was a little embarrassed to even think the creek had changed immensely before I realized I was the one who had changed over the years.

As I grew older, I aged and became busy with other activities, although, I did not forget about the summer days which I spent in the creek. Since I played in the water so often growing up, I can not appreciate the feeling anymore due to the way life works. I grew up as a person, although the adventures and memories I had as a young boy are still the same. I evaluate the situation one more time and I realized, “There is nothing like returning to a place which remains unchanged to find ways in which you yourself have altered.”