People who grew up here occasionally pass by various scenes of their youthful indiscretions.

Transplants, at least those who came here as adults, can more easily relegate such regrettable moments to a hard-to-reach shelf of the memory. Oh, they still remember. They just don't have to confront actually seeing the church parking lot where they threw up after drinking 12 beers when they were 17.

If one background allows for starting over with a clean slate, maybe the other helps keep you humble. Of course, there's another side to that coin.

People who grew up here sometimes pass by places that summon memories of small acts of courage, even minor heroism.

Some of the things we did when we were young make us shake our heads and sigh. Other moments though, live on in the shared recollections of those who saw us at our best.

 

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