<small>Stop and use this page as a prompt if you wish, or continue on from here. Or you could [[a mind to meander|go back to where the river begins]].</small> ---- The Mitt It was 2010. I was camping in Itasca state park in Minnesota with my family of 30. It was a beautiful, warm, and sunny day in the serene woods of northern Minnesota. The smell of the north woods was overwhelming. “We're going on a trip to the store!”, my parents told me, and I was more than happy to go. Going to the store on vacation always meant that I could get a toy. I was the happiest kid alive as we drove in the old SUV into town. I couldn’t stop thinking about what I wanted to get. A Lego, a stuffed animal, a car. The possibilities were endless. The drive was long and winding through the woods; the trees whistling as the wind blew endlessly. The drive felt like it took forever, my excitement building with every minute that passed. Then, I heard my dad say, “We’re here!”. I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the car as fast as I could. I took my dad’s hand, pulling him across the parking lot. The toy section was the only place that I cared about. It was calling my name. I was walking as fast as a 4-year-old could go. We walked through the aisles, everything catching my eye. I was in the clouds, thinking of all the possibilities, but something stopped me dead in my tracks. It was a baseball mitt. I had always wanted one because my dad had one. It was brown and gold, the colors capturing my mind. It even came with a bat and a ball, everything I needed. I asked my dad, and he loved my choice. It made me so proud to have my own baseball bat and glove. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I walked through the store gripping gloves for dear life, not letting anything get in the way. Just like any 4-year-old would, I showed it off to everyone when we got back. They all loved it! My dad and I played catch, and I was even able to hit the ball around with my family, too. That day was one of the best memories of my life. That purchase marked the beginning of my love for baseball and really all sports. From that moment, I have spent so much time playing and enjoying sports. I have so many great memories of playing sports with my friends and family. Years later, hockey became my love. Skating out on the lake made me feel free, and that feeling started my love for hockey. The smell of the ice and your breath turning cold in the air. The sound of skates cutting into the ice, the puck on a player's stick. The sounds of the ice cannot be replaced. My love for the ice was the beginning into the hockey universe. It was 2019, and I was finally big enough to play hockey with the adults. The drive to the rink seemed like it took forever, my heart pounding and head spinning. I was quiet the whole drive, pondering my decision to play. I was wondering why I had made such a bad decision? The thoughts kept pouring into my head, making it seem impossible. The car stopped, and I knew it was time. I grabbed my bag and stick and walked into the rink; the pressure rising. The locker rooms were filled with people, which of whom I had no idea who they were. “Great,” I thought to myself, “A ton of new people”. I quietly got my pads on, going slowly, trying to milk the time before I had to get out on the ice. The excitement started to surface when I got out on the ice. The ice was like glass, my skates cutting into the beautiful portrait. Warm-ups were a blur, and the game was about to start. The game was fast-paced and I couldn’t keep up. After some time, I was starting to get it. I was making plays and having fun. That game marked the start of my love for hockey. I started to rollerblade in the driveway, make my own net, build a hockey rink, and play as much as I could. [[One moment you experience years ago]] can change your life forever. – Ivan Kohlhagen