You have to start somewhere.

Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer.

Park Ridge, Illinois.

I was busy, and young.  Learning about, toys, and friends, and parties, and games, and
forts, and disappointment, and  laughter, and running, and chasing, and outside and inside,
and many other things.

One of my first pertinent memories was about learning how to spell my name.....
My recollection was I learned how to spell Mars, and then someone explained to
me that I just needed to change the last letter to make it work for me.  In someways,
that connection never went away.     Then there was the baker who I used to banter
with about the Cisco Kid, and chocolate donuts. I was surrounded by what was to
me " very interesting people ", of all kinds and shapes and sizes.

There were movies and baseball and bike rides and car rides and Uncles, and Aunts, and
Grandmothers and Grandfathers.   There was always some games and something to see
something to explore, something to hide, something to find.  Somewhere to go.  There
were limits,  but not in my mind.   The days stretched out endlessly.  I touched the world
and the world touched me back, sometimes gently, sometimes quietly, sometimes painfully.

What was really important to me then was everything.   I saw the world as bright
and new, I think, because I had bright and new eyes, and always wanted to see more,
and do more and know more.  I was a wonderful time in my life, that I had no idea
would end.


And it did.