Memories I Forgot I was Making by Madaline

Memories I Forgot I was Making by Madaline - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

Winnie the Pooh was a favorite of mine growing up. I was not quite sure if it was the vibrant movies or the comforting books that first drew me in, but I knew that it had everything to do with a yellow bear holding a red balloon. Pooh became a part of my everyday life. I pretended my backyard was the Hundred Acre Wood, played Pooh Sticks with my grandma on a small bridge in our local park, and talked to my stuffed Eeyore and Piglet as if they were my best friends. The days of my childhood passed in a happy blur, then I turned sixteen and started to think about my quickly approaching senior year. I knew I would need to come up with a senior quote, so I began to think back on the lovely times I had when I was younger. After much thought, I realized that Pooh had summed up my experiences in one concise sentence, “We didn’t realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.”
I believe this quote highlights the value I put on living a full life with the people that I love. The memories I cherish the most have nothing to do with things you must pay for. In fact, all of them focus on doing simple things with the people I love the most. I cannot clearly recall memories of concerts I have been to or rollercoasters I have ridden. However, I can vividly remember walking across the beach with my family early in the morning during a summer vacation. I can tell you in great detail about all of the hikes I have taken with my grandparents and all of the times I baked sugar cookies with my mom and grandma before Christmas. It is evident through this quote that my time and experiences with family are extremely important to me.
Nostalgia is a large part of who I am. I tend to look back on school memories fondly because what is said in the quote is true. Within the moment, I did not realize that reenacting Romeo and Juliet in English class would be one of my favorite memories from ninth grade. I did not think that goofing off in study halls or singing pop songs with my friends would hold any significance to me after the moments were done. I was wrong. When I tried to force myself into making memories, the experience was never too enjoyable. The memories that I frequently look back on are the ones that, at that moment, I forgot I was making.