There was this melancholic statement that made the rounds on Swedish Twitter:
Have you thought about the fact that once upon a time you went out and played for the very last time?
That in itself was a reference (or similar thought to) a YouTube video[b] that also lists a number of "biteersweet last times". There is of course a last time for everything, as we all die in the end, so they did get all that right - but I disagree with the interpretation. The "play" didn't stop, instead it changed slowly over time to something that we don't label as "play", but was more relevant and more entertaining. It never stopped, and it never stopped changing either. Even if we agree that the change in labeling represents a significant milestone, this happened over such a long period that there was no real "last time".
What this all boils down to is, I think, a longing for the carefreeness we associate with childhood. I think that's a bit of rose-tinted rear-view mirror. I remember it, too - but I wouldn't say that childhood was 100% bliss. I was happy the overwhelmingly majority of the time, but like everyone sometimes I was sad, sometimes someone was mean to me, sometimes I worried, and so on. Not that different from now in other words.
There was a last time your parents picked you up and put you down. But that's because you grew big and tall and didn't need for anyone to pick you up anymore, and I bet you hugged them a lot both before and after that. There was a last time you went out to play with your friends. But I bet you still see your friends and talk and laugh and oh where did all those hours go?
There was a last time I played with my legos...
2016-09-13 22:05
...until I found a pile of legos in the office and played some more.