Monday, August 29, 2005

Leave it to me to get long winded.

It seems I have been ‘tagged’ for a meme.
To be polite I do participate only when tagged (and it helps to be tagged by one of my favorites)
So, this is for you Suzanne.
[and…uncharacteristically, I even named other players]

First, the rules to this meme game: Remove the blog at #1 from the following list and bump every one up one place; add your blog's name in the #5 spot; link to each of the other blogs for the desired cross pollination effect.

1. Heather http://outloudvoice.blogspot.com
2. Suzanne http://mimilou.blogspot.com
3. Gina http://objustanotherday.blogspot.com
4. Suzanne http://lifethesuburbs.blogspot.com
5. Lisa http://weese.blogspot.com/

Next: select new friends to add to the pollen count. No one is obligated to participate.

1. Lachlen http://www.mysocalledblog.com/
2. Maxine http://www.nolanoni.blogspot.com/
3. Lisa http://www.mittenmusings.net/
4. Ace http://www.acepryhill.com/
5. Bayou http://www.aperfectanomaly.com/

Let the game begin!

What 5 things do you miss about your childhood?
1. hmm….

Huh. I had planned to put a nice neat list of five items, and be done with it really.. but in simply trying to come up with this list I got to thinking.

First, I had a wonderful childhood. I grew up in a well-to-do town in Fairfield county, we were not rich, but really I can’t say I ‘wanted’ for anything. We were a harmonious family (well until I hit my teens – but that’s a whole ‘nother story).
My father died when I was very young, so my mom was both parents to us. She taught me to be a strong woman, capable of getting along on my own.

I have many fond memories of my childhood, but that is not what the question asks.
The question asks what I miss.. is there something I long for.
And really, no. I can’t say I have a ‘longing’ from my childhood. I actually prefer being an adult.

That said… I loved my purple banana seat Schwinn Sting Ray, Muffy our smelly mutt, running to catch the ice cream man, swinging in the rope swing behind the neighbor’s house, and most of all leaving the house in the morning to play outside all day …until summoned by the dinner bell.
Yes, my mom used to ring a bell out the door for us, rather than calling us home as some of the other parents used to do, usually because we were so far down the hill it was hard to call out that loud.

Can you imagine that today – young kids just going out the door after lunch, and their parents not knowing where they are or what they are doing for hours, and I mean --- all afternoon… and then, around dinner time, parents need to literally call their names …holler out the door to get them home.
We needed to be called because there was no friend’s parent or babysitter to tell us what time it was or what to do… or even to watch what we were up to all day. In our neighborhood, we were usually in the woods at the bottom of hill. Other times we were right in the middle of the street, drawing elaborate chalk outlined ‘roads’ to guide our bikes through, or setting up jumps from scrap wood ‘borrowed’ from the back of a neighbors house (or from construction sites) to run our bikes over—with, of course, the expected disastrous results, sending the wounded home, cut up and bleeding from multiple scrapes and cuts…only to be patched up and sent right back out and down the street.

Do I miss that? … well no, because of course I can leave the house any time I want and play outside all day ‘till dinner ... or even later (and my toys are better now). – so I don’t miss that for myself.
I do miss it for kids today. It’s an unparalleled freedom, to go off on your own with your friends and have the greatest of daily adventures. I learned more about life, living, getting along, physics and biology out there in the neighborhood... on my own, living large and soaking up those long summer days.

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