I sometimes forget how great it was to grow up in a tiny town that was all of 2 miles wide in southwest Indiana. You could walk or ride your bike anywhere and be safe, never worried about traffic, you could easily get anywhere. You were surrounded by country you could get to...

with a quick bike trip which could turn into a massive trip. My best friend in 9th & 10th grade and I would ride 20 miles from home sometimes, just getting lost, no idea how to get back home, not worried at all.

No worries of a job at that age, and no worries we would be in any danger. No cell phones in 1993, so no distractions. Just kids having the time of their lives. We used to spend the night at his aunt's house, who was cool as hell.

I remember one time she took us to get lunch in Evansville, "the bif city" 30 mins away. We followed that with a movie, a 2 hr trip to the arcade/batting cages, then a second movie that night. Crazy to have no responsibilities but to enjoy life.

She was probably in her late 20's or early 30's, very nerdy, but very cool to us, and a genuine friend even w the age gap. She was awesome, as was his mom who would stay up til 1AM to watch scary movies with us every weekend.