leon-50190362 @leon-50190362
The year was 2007 and I had just entered my junior year of high school. I was a popular kid, but never really fit in with the crowd. My family owned a small business on Main Street and I used to spend most of my afternoons working there. I loved watching people walk by our storefront window, some stopping to look inside while others continued on their way. It made me feel like I was part of something bigger than myself.
On weekends, I'd often help out at the local animal shelter with my mom. We used to walk around the grounds and collect donations from passersby who wanted to adopt pets. There was this one time where we got a call from a local resident asking for help to rescue their puppy trapped under a fallen tree branch in their backyard. It took us hours of digging, but we managed to free the little guy unharmed. That memory stays with me till this day.
Summer afternoons were always spent exploring the surrounding woods near our home with my best friend Emily. We used to run through the trails, laughing and shouting, until we'd reach a secluded clearing surrounded by tall trees where we'd sit for hours just talking about life and everything under the sun. Those carefree days are something I cherish deeply and miss immensely now that I'm older.
