Playing soccer (fu'tbol) with my 9 year old neighborhood pals out in front of my house in the barrio of Malvi'n in Montevideo when I was a kid. Me and my pals played until our soccer ball always got popped eventually under a city bus. Then we'd wait until one of us got a new ball for his birthday and start all over again.

I love that place so much I've arranged to have my ashes buried there when I die. Happy resting place.

one of my all time favorite memories was the day the elephants blessed me. we were at the Pittsburgh zoo. i love zoos. they have animals. i love animals. i digress. i was at the elephant's habitat enjoying the way they were going about they're business. for a little bit i was just me and them. then i got swamped by little kids. me not so great with crowds let alone crowds of kids. as i was walking away i turned to thank the elephants for letting me hang out with them. what happened next was amazing.

the Matron of the herd turned towards me. the whole herd followed her lead. then i could feel their voices moving through the ground and up into my heart. (the subsonic thrums they use) then every one old and young actually bowed to me. then they went back their activities like it was just another day.

to this day my hubby will laugh when i tell this story. he saw it happen. i keep elephants all over the place since that day. i know one i will get to go to India & Africa to really get to see the elephants.

yes Muji, playing soccer

I remember swimming and doing all I could to not make a ripple, not a sound. I loved to do that. and I loved to swim under water backwards - heading backwards - moving toward my feet. sometimes I would swim upside down and backwards : ) but always with the thought of not making any ripples to the top water, that was my goal. I pretended I was an otter. that is a good memory, huh?

Lilly, I love that, the otter....

Today I made a new one.

Hubby and I took a walk after supper, and the mist was falling, and the air was sweet like April, and the storms were over so the sky was clear as the sun set, and for a few moments there, we just had *peace*. No human-made noises around, no stresses, just us, holding hands, pausing a moment on the path.

My kids were 12 and 9 at the time when I started in the early mornings, they are 27 and 24 now

Lilly, I love swimming too, I swim all summer long in the lake, so peaceful

DG love the story about the elephant, they are so wise and who says we are the smartest lol...only us

What a great idea for a post, Alice!

The one that sticks out in my mind is the day we got our second German shepherd when I was 14 or 15. We had adopted one off the streets years ago, and he was getting on in years, so we thought it would be a good idea to get him a little sibling to keep his activity level up.

We were about to go to the Humane Society to find him a companion, when we spotted an ad in the paper. A couple's German shepherd had had a litter of puppies, and they'd adopted all but one of them out. Problem was, the mother was rejecting the little girl, and had become actively hostile towards her.

So we went to pick her up and bring her home. She was terrified of being in the car, so I moved to the back seat with her and she spent the entire ride home curled up in my lap. As a result of that, I became kind of a touchstone for her, and she bonded more strongly with me than anyone else in the house.

Pretty much any memory that includes her is a favorite. There was the day I took her out for a walk and she slipped her collar. She'd run ahead of me, while I was calling her to stop and sit down so I could put her collar back on. As soon as I got close, she'd run a bit more, then sit down. This went on for a good half an hour, until she'd led me all the way around the subdivision and right back up to our front door, where she promptly sat and looked at me like, "Well? Are you going to let me in?"

I love everyone's memories and willingness to share. DevAnthony, your dog sounds adorable!