Childhood Memories.

I guess when you grow up you tend to forget a lot of the things that were once very important to you as a child, things that brought you such happiness, joy, and overall positivity during those few precious years; which at the time you don't even think about what life will really be like once you're grown up. Life through a child's perspective (typically) is imaginative, energetic, and positive. It seems that something we all tend to forget about is what its like to feel the excitement a child feels for whatever reason it may be; perhaps being praised for doing well on your 2nd grade spelling test or for receiving a new toy from your parents.

I can honestly say that I've lost touch with what it's like to be a child. At 23, almost 24 years old, life is just so different. We're grown ups now. We're finishing college, we're getting jobs in the real world, we're all headed in our various paths and it seems that for many people that we forget to just stop and smell the roses every once in a while. When I say that I mean that we tend to head towards our goals with tunnel vision whilst losing sight of what's currently happening.

Currently, our country is going through some seriously rough times; quite similar, but not as drastic, to those of the depression of the 1930's, thus shifting our focus on what we don't have versus what we do have - that primarily being money. So I've decided to take a little trip to my childhood and have a visual experience of what it was like.

Whilst reading about the release of the latest Harry Potter film, I found out that they are creating an entire Harry Potter-themed area in Universal Studios Florida. The idea of this immediately brought me back to my childhood when I was ecstatic about going to Florida for a family vacation.

Then it dawned on me, what about Nickelodeon Studios?!

As I began to research what was going on with it, to my dismay, I found out that they had closed the Florida soundstage, which was open for public tours, on April 30, 2005. My heart dropped into my stomach followed by my stomach dropping to my butt. Reading this upset me so much because I had grown up on Nickelodeon! I visited Nickelodeon Studios several times as a child and was even slimed during 3 separate tours (and trips). I have some pictures of it hanging up in my room back in Jersey which I'll have to get my mom to mail to me.

I remember meeting the cast of Clarissa Explains It All privately because I was being slimed so I was backstage preparing for that moment of glory. It was the coolest thing ever to walk through those hallways knowing I was among an elite group of kids who were able to say they, too, had walked those halls; while the rest had to take the tour-route. The slime was always made of apple sauce, vanilla pudding, and green food coloring, and it was always warm! And who doesn't remember the slime geyser?! Nothing was cooler than that, especially when they would show it exploding on live television.

As an only-child, I was more inclined to use my imagination which was and still is always in full-force. Remembering my 'love' for Nickelodeon gave me a very familiar feeling inside, which was probably the same as it was when I was a child, it was warm, pure, and innocent, just like children are meant to be.

In closing, I hope that everyone who reads this can take a few moments out of your hectic schedules to stop and smell the roses of your childhood. Remember, even if just one, a childhood memory that you really love.

Mine is my friend trip to Disney World and oddly enough I still get that same feeling as an adult each and every single time I go there. To me, the magic will always be real, even though I'm fascinated by how everything works there, I know that it took some real pixie dust to make it what it is for me.

One last thing, just remember that we have it far better off than most people do in this world, even if it means being in debt, losing a job, or just not knowing you are this very point in time - what really matters is that you have your family and friends by your side during these trying times.