I grew up swimming at the Jersey Shore, avoiding the jellyfish–but also catching them in my beach buckets. I was taught to roll down grassy hills, walk outdoors with bare feet, and play with dirt, worms, spiders, and butterflies. Driving around in my battery-operated safari cart imagining riding through Australian terrain, looking for animals I could barely pronounce the names of; because I was always obsessed with Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. Naturally I fell in love with nature and all of its creatures. Alongside the physical world, to really set the scene, the scent of incense I have always associated with magic has lingered in my nostrils for as long as I can remember. That same incense is still burning, except this time I am the one who lit it. As an adult, in her mid-to-late twenties I notice every day how I cling on to these very specific bits of nostalgia from my childhood. I usually blame it on the fact that I’m a Leo, but the other truth of the matter is that the environment set by the adults in my life allowed my youth and adulthood to flow seamlessly into each other. I allow every child in my life to lead me through the same types of exploration, imagination, and play that I loved as a child and still love as an adult. My hope is that we are able to give all children and families access to this kind of love, knowledge, and preservation of their youth as it is the strongest foundation for prosperity in their future