Strawberry Is My Home

There is a point in everyone’s life that his or her personality needs to be defined. Their character and its origin scream to be evaluated. Their childhood memories and experiences beckon to be recalled. As I start to brave my senior year in high school and began to prepare to venture out into the world, I need to reveal my true character and how it formed. How and where do you even start to identify you character and values? As a good starting point, I need to evaluate my childhood and where it was spent.

On September 23rd, 1988, I was born in Payson, Arizona. With a population of 13,620, Payson was a small community with all the amenities of a large city. Payson is about 20 miles to the south of Strawberry, Arizona where I was raised though. Nestled below the Mongolian Rim, Strawberry was an ideal place to grow up. The town itself only had a gas station and lodge in my time. Growing up in this rural community, my life was defined by the seasons and the lessons that each one brought.

As the snow melted and the blinding green plants emerged every year, I would start my spring with a family vacation to Rocky Pointe, Mexico. As a child, the six-hour car trip was torture but once I arrived on the sandy beach, I was in heaven. I learned how to live every moment to the fullest as I splashed, played, and baked under the warm sun. Returning from paradise to Strawberry was an easy thing to do though because I kept busy. From growing enormous vegetables for the county fair to hiking through the wooded terrain, spring was a time every year for enormous fun. Yet without avail, summer always snuck in and with it bringing new adventures.

From May until the end of August, I romped around the countryside of Strawberry with no track of time. From sun up to sun down, I spent my time constructing forts in the forest, practicing for the next rodeo, and flying down dirt paths on my bike. I was always looking for the next adventure and competition along with my best friend Kyja. I often learned the lesson of defeat in these competitions but savored the moment of glory when my turn came around. As night would fall, I would sit on my porch with my father. Every time, I felt insignificant under the glowing stars. Summer was always a time of adventure and learning. I learned always to see what was just around the next corner.

Just around the corner was the fall though. Shortly after Labor Day every year, my father and I pulled out the fly-fishing gear out of storage. We always saved fly-fishing for the fall. I never understood why my father held off from this favorite event. Those few weekends under the changing fall leaves seemed to freeze time itself though. On a deserted stretch of stream, a daughter and father would perfect the rhythmic cast. Along with some trout every outing, I caught patience and understanding for the world around me.

As Thanksgiving passes every year, a light snow fell, signifying winter. Winter meant snow days spent with Kyja and hot chocolate at the Strawberry Lodge every day after school. Only a couple days out of the season were spent inside, because as a child, there is no limit on cold when you had a sled. However, the snow was only short lived along with the entire year.

Each year, I passed through the cycle of seasons. Each year, I grew up a little more and learned a little more about this game we call life. Living in Strawberry, Arizona truly did shape who I am today.