We identify closely with the time and place we grew up.
We sure do, Mike. I lived in a town (Janesville) near the Wisconsin-Illinois border from age 3-10. Great sports town back in the day. Many areas of Janesville have gone severely downhill over the past 40 years, but I still feel a tremendous attachment. Any time that I travel near to it on business, I’ll make every effort to go hang out there for an hour or so. I’ll sit in my car for a few minutes in front of my old house and reflect back to the day when that dismal old gray tilted basketball hoop over the garage door was bright orange in color with fully intact ivory white twines….that were tickled on countless occasions by ole’ Pugs here. Then I’ll whiz by my old grade school, which surprisingly still looks the same in both size and appearance as when I used to suck my thumb for kicks. The newer neighborhoods when I was a kid are the places that are difficult to recall, as those little stick trees that occupied the lawns have now been transformed into huge hulking old behemoths….which really skews one’s memories. Anyway, I think it’s nice to have such fond remembrances.