Cochituate Ball Field

My experience
This is the place where I learned how to ride a bike, climb the monkey bars and play soccer. When I was little this park used to be one of the funnest places I knew existed at the time.

I used to live in the neighborhood right next to this park, so going to it was only a five minute walk away. My childhood summer days were defined by spending endless days running around the field and playing on the playground.

Often, my sisters, my dad and I would ride our bikes to the playground and then proceed to spend hours getting lost in the abundance of tunnels, swings and slides. When I was really young, I remember the feeling of still learning how to bike without my training wheels, and wondering how long it would take for me to fully learn.

My sisters and I would play tag and race each other on the bright green field that seemed to extend forever. When we got tired, we would do something less enduring, like going on the monkey bars again. It seemed as though we always had all the time in the world, but once the sun began to set, we knew the fun day was coming to an end.

When I was older and was in middle school, this park was my first real taste of independence. My friends and I now had the freedom to walk by ourselves from school to the park without any parents (Back then this was a very big deal). It was always so fun to see our other classmates and peers here after school as well.

Even though we were now too big for the playground, we would spend sunny afternoons laying on the grass and talking and laughing for hours. Again, once the sun began to set, it was time to walk back home.

Once middle school ended and I moved from to Cochituate to a different part of Wayland, I no longer drove by the park every day like I did before. The park become less and less part of my life, but everytime I passed it, I was reminded of my childhood days.

Just a few weeks ago, I took the girl I babysit to the playground. It was strange yet comforting; everything looked smaller than I remembered. I didn’t realize how much time had passed since I’ve climbed those shiny blue monkey bars.

Spending time at the playground again was extremely nostalgic, but it really felt special. After the girl I babysit begged me to go on the monkey bars and ride the swings with her, I instantly felt like a child again. Even though I will be seeing the park less and less in the future, knowing that other children spend hours running around the playground just like I once did makes me cherish it even more.