Running through my old stomping grounds

The hubby and I visited my dad in Redford this weekend. While we were there, we went for a run through my old neighborhood.

It’s strange how far away my elementary school seemed when I was 5. Now I see it’s just a couple blocks from my old house. It also looks so much smaller and older than it used to.

When I ran through these back streets and empty lots as a high school student, I could point out each of my friends’ houses. I could list off every side street for a mile in four directions. Now almost all of my friends’ families have moved away. And when the hubby asked me to call out the side streets on the way home to give him small goals to run for, I could only name a couple with certainty.

Redford will always be home. I lived there for the first 20 years of my life. I ran a lot of miles there. I rode my bike all over town – to stores, to friends’ houses, to summer and weekend jobs. But Redford grows more and more different every year from the town I used to live in. More buildings are run down. Houses look older. Plants have grown over more fences. Stores that I remember have closed or been replaced. Even my high school has received so many additions that it looks like a completely different building.

It’s kind of sad to see the place I remember aging, and yet, there’s also a joy to exploring my old stomping grounds on foot with my hubby. Running and biking give you the chance to catch the little details of a place that you might miss zooming by in a car. We saw many little treasures or pieces of unintentional art. I told a few stories as we ran past places that sparked memories.

Running this weekend reminded me a little bit of when I was a kid expanding my sphere of independence around my home. It was neat to share some of what shaped me as a person with the man I’ve created a life with as an adult.