01/05/2026
This morning, I was inspired to search for my childhood home on Google Maps in Houston, Texas. If I left now, I could be there in 21 hours.
This was the house where summers felt endless, with friends in the pool and the steady rhythm of the sliding door opening and closing while soap operas droned on in the background. Days were spent outside (on banana seat bikes and plastic skateboards) coming in only for a lunchtime peanut butter sandwich before heading back out until the dinner bell rang.
The dormer window is new. Behind it is the attic playroom that my parents converted into living space with three bedrooms and a bathroom. It was my emotional escape, a place to read, to dream and to be alone with my thoughts. The trees in the front yard are the same, taller with four decades of growth. I can almost smell the mimosa and the gardenia that once grew beneath the dining room bay window.
The television didn’t have a remote control; changing the channel meant standing up. My brothers and I played board games, had full-on wrestling matches when my parents were out, chose shows together and unwrapped Christmas presents. Ordinary moments have become memories I carry ion my heart.
Homes aren’t just bought or sold. They are lived in, grown up in and remembered long after the lights are turned off.
I challenge you to find your childhood home online!
ps: please note the Jeep in the driveway :)
