Personal Essay: Hesperia Lakes

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Back in my hometown, there’s a park called Hesperia Lakes. This park has a small lake where we can freely fish the small population of the lake. There are also ducks that can be fed. I have early memories of this lake. The early memories of this lake are mostly of the grass. Grass that was very green and would stain whatever I was wearing. The grass always was fully watered to the point where if I was not cautious about the step I took I could easily slip. In many cases, that is exactly what happened, upsetting my mother because many pair of pants would end up ruined with grass stains. With time, the grass became less important to me. I enjoyed spending more time on the small playground available in the center of the park. I enjoyed swinging …show more content…

The lake is not very large but I did not run for the distance. I enjoyed running because of the people that I would stop to chatter with about their days and ask how there fishing was going. The small yet very intimate stories they would share with me are what made running worth it. On Saturdays, the soccer field in the back of the main park would always be a place of commotion as numerous teams would be getting ready for friendly yet competitive games. Kids of all ages in uniforms ready to start playing as families and friends would gather around to cheer them on. Hesperia Lakes is a common ground where my hometown folks would come and no longer be strangers. Neighbors would actually get to know each other and friendships would be created, even if they only lasted for a few hours. This piece of land as small and insignificant as it seems to some, is a place I hold close to my heart. If I were to visit Hesperia Lakes today it would be different from the memories that I …show more content…

I no longer fear slipping if I don’t watch my steps. The grass isn’t that dark green color that covered the entire area. Now we have patches of cement where more picnic tables have been placed but no one really uses. The ground has patches of dry grass and in some places even just dirt because there is no longer any grass. I notice that the trees above are not as full as they used to be. The amount of shade the trees used to provide is diminishing. The hot sun now warms the swing seats to a temperature that is uncomfortable to sit on. The cooler months still settle in, yet there is no more pile of leaves to land on at the end of the slide. The lake water is a green color now, and fishes are scarce. The ducks bug visitors for food and people don’t come out to fish as often as they used to. I still go running around the lake, but I miss the conversations I had with the families around the lake. Saturdays are still very busy for the park. Teams have to stand and wait for a majority of the time until goal posts are available considering the field has been shrunk in order to save water that was being used to water the

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