If you are like me, you now have a greater appreciation for what your parents pulled off in raising you. I never knew there was x amount of money or bill deadlines or adult crap that stresses you out when I was a kid. I was fortunate. I was allowed to be a kid. I grew up in little town texas, with lightening bugs at night and playing tag in the yard. Hours on end hanging out with my friends just playing.
Playing. That seems to be a concept that is lost to us adults. I would ride my bicycle forhours all over the place, march through fields and forests with my bb gun, or go riding dirt bikes down trails. And I mean all day long. Not 30 minutes here or there. All day! My mom would have to yell for us to come in the house in the evening.
Times they are a changing. I long for those days when these big decisions were someone elses and all I was responsible for was playing. But alas, I have arrived at the world of adults. Where following rules and deadlines and profits and power plays are the rule of the day.
one of my favorite quotes is from the movie Luther.
"When I was a child,
I thought like a child, I was a child,
I played like a child.
And now, thanks to the adults,
I've had to join
the world of adults.
And I am appalled..."
It seems we could do better as adults at being more childlike. Whats the busyness all about anyway? making another dollar? getting the latest pair of jeans? trying to raise our kids perfectly and smothering them to death? not letting them be kids?
buying them everything the world says they need? I am amazed at how many 10 year olds have cell phones and text messaging and video games and dance classes and ... the list is exhaustive.
And as a kid, my relationship with God was simpler. A child like faith is spoken of in scripture. I think Jesus likes us coming to him in a childlike manner. Eyes wide open and trusting. That seems like an impossibility in the adult world with its own set of rules and demands.
I sometimes miss childhood.
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Hi npp - Speaking of Faith have a really good podcast on Play available just now (http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/play/)
It's got me thinking a bit, which I'll write about soon, but the gist of it is that not only is it Ok to play, it's necesssary to play to release ourselves from the mania of life. Dr Brown (in the pdcast) uses a phrase about play that I love "guilt-free purposelessness".
Oh my gosh - you had my childhood! When it was time for us to come in (sometime around dark:thirty) and we hadn't made an appearance, my mother would stand on the porch and let out a shrill whistle. Standing next to her it didn't seem that loud, yet we could hear it for what seemed to be miles - kinda like a dog whistle.
Wow..yes. I oftern wish I was the won who had responsibilities, decisions to make or have to take care of MYSELF when I'm sick.
This is one of the things I love so much about hanging with the youth. I get to play. They like to lie in the grass and watch the stars. Last week on a retreat, we played on a playground for 3 hours! It was awesome.
ER - guilt free purposelessness...yes. i like it!
mizangie - i guess you also got the full name treatment if you were late too? wow, i knew i was trouble when i mom used all three names...ouch!
KJ - i was just thinking about that the other night. I was out watering the lawn while my kids were inside. The stars were out and i remember lying for hours on the lawn (pre fire ant days) watching them or clouds or whatever. I don't think my kids ever do this. different times, but they sure are missing out.
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