An Epiphany

I spent the first 25 years of my life proving to myself that I was invincible.  I have spent the last 10 years disabusing myself of that belief. 

I saw some children running around a fountain in a park today.  Their parents kept telling them to stop running.  These kids were playing and aged around 2-4.  They will never feel invincible.  While it may seem that they are ahead of the curve, a lot of my successes and triumphs have stemmed from the belief or the memory of the belief that I was invincible and could do anything.  These children are being crippled.  When I have proven myself mortal those where humbling times that I also learned from.  There is a difference in being proved mortal and assuming it from the get go.  Every child should face that test themselves.

Secondly- In a nation where obesity in children is become epidemic, should we ever tell a child to stop running?  I think not.  Run children!  Scraped knees heal and chicks dig scars...Well... they used to. 

Slip and Slide

Do you remember slip and slides when you were a kid?  I used to always want one, but my family was poor.  Even if we could have afforded the slip and slide the water to use such a thing would have sent us over the edge.  Luck and creativity were on the side of me and my brother one spring day.

I was in the 6th grade at the time.  If you know anything about Tennessee in the spring, you know it was raining.  My brother and I were at one of my friends houses when we noticed that his yard was saturated with water.  The light bulbs went off in our heads simultaneously.  We rushed home as fast as we could, we had the forethought to not use even mildly good clothes for such an experiment, and changed our clothes.  Rushed out of the house before anyone had known we were there and met our friend at his door.  For the next hour or so, we were slipping and a sliding without a care in the world.  When our friend had to go in, we headed home as proud as we could be. 

Our mom was not that thrilled with our activities of the day.  You see, my friends house had some grass but it was mostly dirt.  In the rain that dirt turned to mud.  By the very nature of slip and slide movements, said dirt was packed into our clothes.  I explained to her that we were wearing old clothes and that we didn't mess up anything nice, but she said she didn't care what clothes we were wearing.  She proceeded to tell us that we would not be coming in the house like that.  We were told to strip naked out in the rain while our mom was spraying us with the hose. This was done in the front yard, in front of God and everybody else.  While the end result was embarrassing and I am sure painful (I don't remember getting spanked, but knowing my mom. . .), I don't regret it for an instant.  One of the best times I have had in my life.   

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QotD: No shouting on the bus!

What was your most memorable or favorite school field trip?

We went to see the Gengis Khan exhibit when I was a senior.  It was Gengis Khan, perpetuator of senseless violence.  I am a huge fan.  On the bus ride back, I fell asleep.  I freaked everyone out because my eyes were not closed, but you could only see the whites of my eyes.  I seem to have passed this trait on to my own children.  I think it is cute.  "Look honey, Ashli is possessed again.  Awwww!"

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More quarters please...

Pacman growing up. I like racing games now and guitar hero is cool.

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