Childhood Memories

You know those little snippets of our childhood that we tuck away safely into our memory, the idyllic days where all thet you worried about was how late you could play outside, or how far down the sidewalk you could ride your bike before a parent came out to tell you that you went to far. I got to travel back in time last evening and relive one of those idyllic memories, with the help of my 5 year old daughter. The backyard isn't the same as in my youth, but the smells sounds and feel was about what it was like about 21-24 years ago.

The day had been hot, and we played at the city park until sunset, when the air starts to cool. We took off our sandals and walked barefooted in the thick cool freshly mown grass. she played on some equiptment that was much like what I played on as a child. I dug my toes in the hot dry sand, and as i dug deeper, it cooled and became damp. There was a little legue baseball game going on at the other side of the park, and the sound of the *THWAK* of a bat meeting the ball and the cheers from the parents in the stand sounded the same as from my youth.

It was getting dark and time to go home, and so we climbed into the van. When I was a kid, my dad would let me "drive" while sitting on his lap. this was of course before seatbelt laws. but since we were less than a block away from home, I let her "drive" we went no faster than 3 miles an hour and even got passed by some bikeriders.

Small town midwest life, where we give directions to get somewhere in town by relation to where it is from THEE only set of traffic lights. Where we don't lock our doors-ever because we know that the neighbors will watch over the house while we are gone. The gas stations are the place to hear the latest gossip as well as the best place to sell your old car/dishwasher/camper/sofa or give away puppies or kittens.

After my daughter had taken a bath and had supper, we went out into the backyard and chased fireflies. My daughter's giggles, bringing giggles of my own bubbling up, as we ran breathlessly around catching and releasing these bioluminescent creatures. it was a beautiful snippet of life that I know that I have filed away, and i hope that my daughter does too.