The Good Old Days

Prompt: Do you wish you could return to a moment from your past?

The idiom “back in the good old days” refers to an earlier time period which everyone remembers as a better time. I believe that we all have our own personal “good old days”, or a time period that we remember as being the best time in our lives. We often want to go back to these times in our lives because we remember it as being better than our current lives. For myself, the time period that I wish I could return to is my middle school years.

One reason why I wish I could return to this time period is because I had many valuable relationships during this time. I joined a youth group in 6^th grade where I met many older high school students. These older students welcomed me and took care of me, and they had a great impact on me as a person. Youth group became like a second family to me, and I formed many long-lasting friendships there. I also met a new friend in 6^th grade who would eventually become my best friend. We both went through this new phase of our lives together, and as we supported each other we became like brothers. Even in school, I found that many of my friends who had gone to different elementary schools were attending the same middle school as me. The reason why all of these relationships were so special to me is because I shared many unforgettable experiences with them. Overall, this was a time period in my life when I had many valuable people in my life.  

Another reason why I wish I could go back to this point in my life is because I regret that I didn’t realize how blessed I was to have all those great relationships and moments while I was going through them. I wish that I could go back and make the most of every opportunity and savor every moment. I think many times in life we don’t realize how great a certain phase of our life was until we’ve moved on from it. At the same time, the past can seem better than what it was because we can forget about the hardships and struggles that we went through during those times. For example, even though I remember my middle school years as a perfect time in my life, I also vaguely remember many struggles I had during that time as well. I remember having problems with different kids at my school, and wanting to leave my middle school as soon as I could. I remember the pressure I put on myself for performing well even in middle school. However I often forget about these things and only remember the good parts about my middle school years.

Another reason why I wish I could return to this time of my life is because I want to relive my life from this point on. I made many mistakes, and I hold many regrets even today. I wish that I would have stopped worrying so much about the future and just enjoyed those days. Thinking back, there was really nothing for me to worry about, and everything was so much easier back then. However I also realize that even though everything may have seemed simpler in the past, that is not necessarily true. It is not necessarily true because I have grown and matured much more since then, and now that I can handle tougher situations, everything that I faced in my past seems like a joke.

I never realized how special my middle school years were until I moved on from them. But by the same token, it is possible that I might realize how special my high school years were only after I have gone through them. Therefore my conclusion is that even though I wish I could return to my middle school years, I would rather spend my time savoring my life right now. Who knows, maybe right now is actually the best time of my life.

Feedback Requests:

My word limit is a little over the 650 limit, and I would like to know how I can make this essay more concise. Also, what can I do in order to make this essay more interesting and engaging for the audience? Is the tone too formal?