Meredith, what did you do as a child when school was let out for summer?

Nothing and everything. Played outside until the street lights came on. There was a park across the road that backed on to the forest. We spent our days building a poor makeshift fort, playing with milkweed, and exploring. We’d bike, play in the sprinkler, catch grasshoppers and toads (and ultimately let them go again). We once almost caught a frog, and I remember the feeling of awe at seeing it jump so high—so much higher than a toad. It was beautiful. We were free.