Almost every time I write the first thing that comes to my mind is Hayward, Wisconsin. This is not just because of what the town beholds but more the memories I have made there. My family had a cabin up there, and when you would pull into the long driveway my head would flood with memories of old. Walking into the cozy cabin on the eve of Christmas is almost as if I had just found a diamond in the rough. Family is not to be forgotten, without them the place would not have been as memorable. Family is what brought meaning, meeting up in this cozy cabin. Family is what makes everything possible, so if there were to be people I could not live without it is that, but in this case I can be more specific. 

My grandparents were the ones to own this cabin and as time went on they became older and could not take care of such property by themselves, so they had to sell. As much as the one thing I could not live without in this situation would be the cabin and the amazing property it brought, instead, it is the memories I made as a younger boy that I will cherish forever. Sledding down the icy snowy driveway in a blizzard or being on the lake listening to music and stories until dawn would bring us back in, memories like these I cannot live without. Whenever holidays roll around I think of this special place in Hayward, Wisconsin, and I become overwhelmed with joy knowing I was lucky. The town of Hayward itself has many memories to offer, like the candy shops and the famous statue of a giant musky, or even the world-renowned race the “Birkiebeiner” which my family would ski in from time to time. A town so special to my family and me that we even named our dog after the race, Birkie. For many people the one thing they could not live without is an object that means the world to them, as this may be something only they could understand, it is not the truth for me. I feel something like a boat or a house can provide these great times you cannot live without, but it is the people you are surrounded by and the memories you make that are immeasurable when it is all said and done. Memories like the ones I have shared are the things that keep us going, without them, we would have nothing to look back on or forward to. This is why for me these specific memories of the past, are times and people I could not live without.