A view of our street, looking north.
And a view of the sidewalk where the following occurred. (I'm taking a break from the squirrel saga. No major damage observed today.)
Our street is a lovely little street. One of the best things about it is that it has sidewalks, and the sidewalks often have people walking on them. Often with their dogs or with other people.
I was sitting on the porch just now and saw the cutest thing. (Yes, in our neighborhood we have front porches, and people do sit on them.) A neighbor was riding down the street on his bike, and alongside him came his daughter's bike, which he was pulling with a rope. His daughter was on the bike. The bike had training wheels, so she was stable.
Our street is a lovely little street. One of the best things about it is that it has sidewalks, and the sidewalks often have people walking on them. Often with their dogs or with other people.
I was sitting on the porch just now and saw the cutest thing. (Yes, in our neighborhood we have front porches, and people do sit on them.) A neighbor was riding down the street on his bike, and alongside him came his daughter's bike, which he was pulling with a rope. His daughter was on the bike. The bike had training wheels, so she was stable.
After them, on the sidewalk, came the family dog.
And bringing up the rear was the older brother, also on the sidewalk. He was a good ways back, and they were going downhill, so he was getting further behind.
As I watched him walking along, I wondered if he would catch up, if he might start running soon.
And then as I watched, he skipped. Not for long. Just a few skips, and then back to walking.
And I thought, how long has it been since I saw someone skip like that? How long since I skipped like that?
Then I thought, I wonder why only children skip? Why do we not skip as adults? Not to be funny or silly, but just as a natural movement, the way children do. A response to some inner joy or energy, or just a fun way to pick up the pace.
And now I am thinking, of course there are reasons: high heels, back pain, we're often carrying bags, purses, whatever.
But I bet the main reason a grown-up wouldn't skip, if they had a sudden inclination to, is that grown-ups don't do that. Other grown-ups would consider it odd, at best.
So now I'm wondering, are there those among us who do skip when no one else is around? This is not a survey, but I'm curious. Does the impulse to skip continue into adulthood?
It has made me want to skip, I know that.
9 comments:
Neat photos -- I remember!
Two cottontail bunnies showed up in the yard this last week. After getting over the "awwww, aren't they cute?" phase, I began thinking, what am I gonna do when they start pillaging my vegetables? Elmer Fudd and his eternal war with Bugs Bunny come to mind. Pluse, where there's two bunnies, there will be thirty, very soon. Yipe!
Have you ever noticed that a child will sometimes take the time to stop and check his/her surroundings to see who might be watching before taking that leap into the unknown? It's almost the same as a child who falls and then looks around to see if anyone's watching in determining whether or not to cry or to just get-up and dust off.
The house that I've bought in TN doesn't have a porch to sit on although it does have a back deck to sit on. When I lived in Searcy, I can remember sitting out on the porch one evening in my night gown, just watching whatever passed by.
There are so many things, I think, that we choose not to do as adults because it's considered inappropriate by someone. Yesterday I was dressed in shorts and a tee shirt and wondered if that was okay at 40 something. Then again, that will be my traveling attire soon, so I suppose it really doesn't matter that much to me.
Do keep us posted on those critters determined to eat-up your flower bed.
It's our bad knees. Skipping is murder on knees, and adults have enough trouble with their knees without borrowing more.
Carisse, I wish you well!
Carolinagirl, you're right--I have seen the looking moment, esp. in older children. And it does tend to increase with age...though at this point in my life, I find myself increasingly less concerned with "how it looks." Maybe someday I'll wear the purple dresses they talk about.
Andy, are you who I think you are? And I wonder, if we had kept skipping all along, would it be so hard on our knees? Or would we have developed the strength and maintained the flexibility to make it okay? Seems possible, along the "use it or lose it" line of thinking....
You may not remember me, but I used to work with your sister, Lisa, and I met you about a year ago in Memphis. It's been good "getting to know you better" through your blog.
I occasionally get the urge to skip. Usually I give in to that urge, and I've found that I can't skip without smiling or sometimes even breaking out in laughter. Skipping is one of those things that for some reason brings out the lighter side of life. Maybe that's why we usually only associate it with children. Adults can be so serious and don't always seem to see the little joys of life that children do.
Maybe we should all skip a little more often. Relieve some stress, smile a little more, and experience the joys that God's given us.
Alicia Adams
Hi, Alicia! Yes, I remember you. Thanks for your comments. And may I encourage you to keep skipping!
If my blog causes one person to skip out of joy, thereby becoming that much more open to joy and authentic living, I will not have blogged in vain. :-)
Oh y'all --
I actually did go skipping last fall. Harding's campus was brilliantly lit with Christmas lights so my co-worker and I decided to go for a walk on the front lawn. While we were out, we ran into two of our student workers - Hannah and Lisa -- and a group of their friends.
"Mrs. Burley! Come skip with us!"
So I did. I skipped. I held hands and twirled around in a circle. I laughed and laughed and had a fantastic time.
We should all skip more often.
I had a similar and personal experience not too long ago.. I climbed on our bed (I needed to clean the window above the head of it) and I felt this urge to start jumping on the mattress, an activity forbidden to my children (and to me as a child, but that I enjoyed immensely anyway!)
Well, hiding from them (like I used to hide from my mom!) I started jumping and also jumped off the bed.. and almost broke an ankle. My enthusiasm was replaced by a reality check -- I've never been very athletic and it doesn't look like I'm going to start now!!! ..another way of saying I am not getting younger -- but just in the physical sense; in the metaphysical I am as young (and stupid) as ever! (body vs mind)
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