For as long as I can remember, I've always loved to be in motion. It has become so much of a habit, that sometimes it is impossible for me to think without tapping my pen against the desk or shaking my leg...or pacing (a habit that makes me the worst person to attend a movie with). When I was younger, it was less of a necessity that I stay still. I was never expected to stay calm when hanging with friends, or stay quiet when doing my homework. Therefore, I had more freedom to do what I loved most...and that was swinging on my swing in the backyard.

I'm not sure it is possible to fully explain why I needed to swing everyday, but I felt empty without it. It was the one place where no one could touch me. While swinging back and forth I was unstoppable, uncatchable, completely free to dream whatever I wished. The surrounding blurred colors caused by constant motion made it easier to completely space out. I loved it best when I forgot I was even home. Summer was always best for this pastime. I'd swing for hours until the sky turned dark blue, and my childish fears of nightime took hold. Then, I'd raced back to the house.

Everytime I see a swing, I will forever think of my childhood. It is the one symbol I could ever use to completely capture myself. It was, and still is, a major part of my life that influenced me in ways I can't ever pinpoint. I know that if I'd never had the freedom to escape, I would not be who I am today. I fully believe that my imagination thrived in my childhood from this experience, and that my love for motion keeps me aspiring to fly.