Whenever I am asked what my earliest memories are, I have an interesting, almost 'mythical' one to note. Still to this day it seems like a dream, though I know it wasn't. I am not entirely sure what my first memory was, but there are a few I know are from that same era in my life, the late 90's, and are the earliest I can currently recall.
When I was about 3 years old, I had an undying love for butterflies and moths. My favourite past-time was to catch them harmlessly to observe up close before releasing them back into the wild. One night my dad decided to take me to a local sports field to see the moths gathered around the floodlights. There were no other people there, just us. As expected, there were swarms, and we spent some time admiring them. Before long, and to our surprise, a blimp touched down into the field from above.
We walked up to it, my dad carrying me in his arms. The next thing I know is that the operator of the blimp asked if I wanted to go for a short ride, while it was attached to the tether. I am an adventurous spirit, so of course I was eager to. From what I can remember, there was a square door opening up into the floor of the chamber inside. My dad boosted me up and through the door. I have a memory of looking down through the hole, as the blimp elevated ever so slightly, and suddenly starting to panic as my dad began to drift a little further away from me on the ground. I reached my hands out to him and cried a single time, and then I was put back into his arms again. They laughed and all was well.
This memory was crystalised into my core and I have never forgotten it. Even today, this remains the first and only time I have ever seen a blimp.
