Memories and imagination

Remember, for a moment, what it was like when you were a kid.

Remember springtimes of your past, when the flowers would bloom, when you could wish on dandelions, and -- for some -- when you would hunt for brightly colored eggs while wearing your new Easter dress. Perhaps, too, you spent a weekend or two selling cookies for your scout or guide troop some Springtime, too.

Remember Summers that would never end, where ice cream, lemonade, and all sorts of summertime treats seemed like they were yours for the taking. Days spent climbing a favorite tree, or daydreaming of clouds that looked like fluffy bunnies.

Remember Autumn: the satifying crunch of a leaf as you leapt into a pile, freshy stacked. Cast your mind back to pumpkins carved and costumes worn for Halloween, or - for those of us in the States - Thanksgiving-time school plays.

Remember wintry nights spent at home, a mug of cocoa at the ready, perhaps catching a "CBS Special Presentation" featuring Charlie Brown, Rudolph, or Frosty. Think of the wonder of lights, whether it was the glow of the family menorah, or the gleam of lights strung around a tree. A time of paper-wrapped presents and candy canes.

Remember joy, and wonder, and the happy times of your youth. All these memories that may bring a smile to your face, or even a tear to your eye.

Those were halcyon days where life may well have been a lot simpler, before car payments, mortgages, and 1040s, when you got up to go to elementary school instead of facing another rush hour commute to a dull, gray cubicle. You know, when the doctor might offer you a sucker, and you could do crayon drawings on the menu at your favorite restaurant.

Now imagine those being something other than simply memories. Imagine if you could head off to elementary school now, experience the seasons as you once did, and enjoy a simpler time in your life once again. Imagine that Summer need not end, because the sky will always be blue, with a few wispy clouds some 140 meters over your head.

Imagine too that any bad that may cloud those memories could be somehow lessened, with a sheen of adult experience allowing you to avoid your own errors, while a bevy of other tools can help prevent any ills you may have suffered during your childhood.

Finally, imagine if, as a kid, you could fly, teleport to places far and wide, and make whatever play thing you desire.

This is the life of a child in Second Life. Now, is it any surprise why one might choose it?