A Stroll Down Memory Lane by: Jamie Rubin

I love going on walks or perhaps taking a nice stroll. My favorite stroll is down memory lane. To begin, I will briefly recap my fifteen years on Earth.

2003: This is the year I was born. Most of my time probably consisted of being in the womb, crying, sleeping, and eating. 

2004: same as 2003.

2005: according to my mom and my sister, I nearly drowned in the baby pool. I was lying face down in the water and, at first, they thought I was swimming, although that turned out not to be the case.

2006-2007: I attended preschool! Not to brag but I was a pretty popular preschooler. I had one friend that religiously ate her boogers, another that would dig up worms and cut them in half at recess, a third that consumed Chef Boyardee on the regular, and a couple more that were relatively normal. I had my first playdate which was a major milestone in my life. I also remember learning how to say "jump" in sign language and my brother throwing a block at someone's head.

2008: My first year of elementary school! In kindergarten, I met my best friend, Julianna, who I'm still friends with to this day! I didn't know it at the time but apparently, she thought I was going to be one of the "mean girls". (PSA: I'm very sorry if you also get that impression. It's just my severe case of RBF (resting synonym-for-female-dog face).

2009: I met another one of my good friends named Elise in first grade. Our teacher was arrested halfway through the year for inappropriately touching female students. Not only was he a pervert, but he was also a total jerk. He assigned everyone in class an animal that reminded him of them. In front of the entire class, he announced that I was a turtle because I was slow. 

2010: Second grade was amazing. My teacher always gave us M&Ms at the end of the day. Good times. 

2011: Third grade. Not as amazing. These two new kids moved to my school and bullied me and my friend, Nina, every day (especially at indoor recess).

2012: The summer of fourth grade was when I started cursing and I remember it as if it were yesterday. I rounded up all my friends at camp and said something along the lines of, "Watch this: f**k," and proceded to flex all the other bad words I had begun to say. 

2013: I was on top of the world. As a fifth grader who had just turned 10, I ran that school. Nobody was any match for me.

2014: The glory I once felt as one of the biggest kids in school was obliterated when I walked in the doors of middle school on the first day of sixth grade. All I remember from this year was loads of gossip and drama, but also tons of fun. 

2015: I moved from Montville to Sparta the summer before seventh grade which ended up being the worst year of my life thus far due to a lack of people skills that left me basically friendless and some major FOMO regarding my old school. 

2016: Eighth grade was mediocre; It had its ups and downs but looking back at it, it was all pretty petty stuff.  In addition, this is the year the term "you're pink" was fostered. I'm not sure if anyone else remembers it but I still use this phrase daily.

2017: Freshman year for me was great overall. I made an awesome new group of friends and had a lot of fun. I also went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic where I was able to meet so many people and help out in various communities there. It was undoubtedly the most incredible experience I have ever had. The memories made on that trip were unforgettable. 

2018: Most people would consider it a gigantic roller coaster ride, myself included. Some aspects of my life were better than ever but others sort of jumped off a metaphorical cliff. 

2019: Although we are only 1/3 of the way through, this seems to be the year of childhood comebacks. The Jonas Brothers band reunited, Miley Cyrus got Hannah Montana hair, and it has been announced that the tv show Drake and Josh will be returning as a grown-up version. However, personally, nothing has really changed since 2018. 

I have only very briefly outlined my life, somewhat heavily sugar coating it and disregarding the more unfortunate events. However, I don't feel there is a need to mention these because none have detrimentally affected me for eternity. In the words of Kelly Clarkson, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." While it hasn't been perfect, life is good.

Pictured left to right: Elise, Jamie (me), Nina, and Julianna. This was taken at fifth-grade graduation.

This picture was taken in November of 2017 while I was in the Dominican Republic on a mission trip. We were visiting a k-8 school where we played with the kids and delivered supplies.