It’s wonderful to be back in my boyhood hometown again to visit with my now elderly mother. It seems like centuries ago when I was growing up here. Back then, this small town was just a backdrop that formed the unremarkable environment in which I lived my everyday life.
Mom’s doing great for her age, but she's moving slower these days. After a lengthy but heartwarming talk in the den about my wife, the kids and how well work is going back in the big city far from here, we have reached the point of being all talked out for now.
What a perfect time to go for a walk and get some fresh air. The outside loudly calls for a look around the neighborhood to see how things have changed,and how things have stayed the same. As I walk down the street, it's like I’m on my trusted bicycle riding around as a young boy. I’m on yet another grand mission on my bike again. Oh, the places my bike could take me, and did.
There’s the small corner store, just a quick bike ride down one street and up another, whereI must carefully consider my choices; will it be a candy bar, or pack of football cards with the bonus flat piece of bubble gum, or a handful of fireball jawbreakers? The freedom to decide continues unabated only the stakes are higher with time, requiring proportionally greater wisdom.
There's the bridge over the lazy river where I love to park my bike, and just sit on the tail ledge to think penetrating thoughts, as I look down the river into the expansive horizon. How far does this river go, and what is beyond the river, and even what is beyond that? Maybe someday I can travel to experience it on my own when I get older. Many are the places I've since traveled, only to enlarge my curiosity further, as my awareness of the unknown has grown.
It's only a quick ride to reach the old retired doctor’s house, whose lawn I mow weekly. We always enjoy talking as we work together. I don't remember exactly all that we talked about, but I do remember that he always listened and I felt appreciated. His example of deliberate kindness and thoughtful wisdom showed me how to pass on the same to others younger than myself, many times over the years.
I love to climb to the very top where the highest branch is so narrow, because the higher I go, the more I can see. I can even see past the supermarket, with a glimpse of the ocean a mile beyond that.Ever since then, I have always found it well worth paying the price to reach the vantage point that affords life's best perspective.
My bicycle enabled so much adventure along the safe sidewalks and sleepy streets of my town. It offered great freedom to explore. There were so many places to ride my bike, including special places that only I knew about. There were seemingly endless opportunities for discovery, compelling experiences, and even the thrill of imagined danger.
It's been decades since those days of boyhood exploration. But even though everything is different now, bike remains an adventure that continually beckons. Although I am more established now, I still must plan to set a direction and be careful to navigate a wise path.
This wonderful little townprovided a significant time of preparation which was a microcosm of my life, where I learned,without realizing I was learning, the most important things before I ever lived them.
（高二材料）