Strawberry Fields Forever

As the days pass by I am feeling more nostalgic than ever – so much that I spent all last night looking at old photographs and cherished relics with one of my siblings. As I did this, I began to realize how each childhood toy and the beautiful moments caught within every picture held a tremendous amount of meaning. And it’s so funny to me because I remember these moments like they were yesterday. Being so young prancing around the living room and wishing I was old enough to drive a car, go out to-night clubs with friends like they did in the movies, or go on spontaneous airplane adventures. I would spend so much time thinking about my future as an adult living in my big house with a big family. Now here I am. I’m still too young for a big house with a family of my own, but I am slowly packing my belongings in boxes for I am moving out of my home and off to a bustling city to attend university. Wow, has time ever flown by… One moment you can’t wait to grow up and the next you are grown and only wishing you were back in your comfort zone of prancing around the living room without a single worry! Hakuna Matata.

            As the procrastination of packing continues I have decided to use my valuable time to write about a perfect day I have been blessed with this summer. It all begins with the song called “Strawberry Fields Forever” written by John Lennon, a member of the band “The Beatles”. The song is very expressive by how it captivates a place near Lennon’s childhood home in Liverpool, England where he would often visit – a strawberry field. Metaphorically Lennon also uses the term “Strawberry Fields” as a way to escape his troubling thoughts dictating how the world is blind to what is occurring around them. Coincidently as I sang the tune while going to the strawberry field in my own community, I connected Lennon’s realities of home with my own.

            As a naïve child, picking strawberries while deliberately gorging my mouth full of them was always a happy memory. How could it not? An afternoon drive with the thought of homemade berry crumples and strawberry rhubarb pies swirling around in my head. It was glorious! However, this time being several years older, as I picked strawberries alongside my sister Micaela and brother Jack I felt so sad that this may very well be the last time we were all together in our hometown picking strawberries. Even though my family and I have lived in three different homes all of which we were still able to make the drive up to the strawberry field to get our share of fresh fruit, it will no longer be the same. Even so, I am so grateful and as I think back to this wonderful carefree day with sad eyes, the memory will forever resonate in my heart as one of the best days of summer 2017!

            Shortly after we picked strawberries that day, we decided to take a quick tour of our old neighbourhood and as we drove down the street an old neighbour (who we hadn’t seen in 8 years) was doing some yard work. Sure enough I waved to him as if no time had passed at all thinking he would know exactly who I was from the car window (silly me). With that action, we pulled the car over and stopped to chat. It was quite funny because as I told my old neighbour our names his eyes lit up and he couldn’t believe how grown up the three of us were! Although time flies by so quickly, reuniting with an old family friend and seeing my old neighbourhood managed to give me some sort of closure. I figured that in order to move to exciting, new, greater heights in my life I had to revisit the past so I could feel whole and happy to leave home.

This entire process of moving is so unbelievably difficult, from finding a new place to live, leaving family, friends, a pet and my two incredible jobs behind, I am struggling to adjust to so much change all at once. I feel like I’ve spent these past weeks saying goodbye to all my close buds and every time I get so choked up about it. Truth is, goodbyes are hard, but this isn’t goodbye! Everything that encompasses my hometown has shaped me into the person I am today and I am beyond grateful for that. So as I sit here typing this sweet memory to you (I should really be packing the rest of my things) I resolute that leaving behind everything I know and moving to an entirely new place will come with its challenges. However, I am happy to say that my hometown will always be my very own “Strawberry Fields Forever” and I am ready for whatever life should throw at me. It is all apart of growing up and moving closer to the dreams I had wished for when I sang “Hakuna Matata” around the house. Given that, cheers to Strawberry Fields and new beginnings.  

 Written by Tessa R. Adamski