A Childhood Memory

As I have walked around campus, I have noticed that almost all of the trees are in full bloom. Because of this, that is why I have seen so many of these bad boys on the sidewalks and grass...

To the average person, these are the dried seed pods from a maple tree. To me, they hold a special memory from my childhood.

When I was little, my grandma's house was literally in my backyard up until I was six years old. I spent quite a bit of time over there just being with my Grandma. I don't remember a lot about that time, but there is one thing that has stuck with me to this day. Not only was my grandma's house in my backyard, there was also a maple tree. After a spring storm, these seed pods would blanket the grass surrounding the tree. One day, my grandma and I were outside and she happened to pick one up. She showed me how you can drop them to the ground and they spin like helicopter blades. That might not seem that impressive now, but as a four-year-old, I was amazed by this.

Through the years, my grandma's health began a decline that eventually led to her death eight years ago. Also, the maple tree sustained damage in the ice storm that it never quite bounced back from. Because of that, the tree also died and had to be cut down about two years ago. Since then, my backyard has seen none of these pods.

Now, every time I see one of these pods, still in my childlike wonder, I pick a few up and drop them back down to the ground, watching them spin like a helicopter. These remind me of the simple times of childhood that I sometimes long for. Now, whenever I get the chance, I will teach my nephews and hopefully one day, my own children about this fun anomaly of nature. Maybe it won't mean anything to them, I don't know; but maybe, just maybe, they, too will remember it and hold onto that memory as they grow up.