START
As the sun shone brightly, the sky clear blue, and autumn air crisp, the children and I drove to my parent's house, then onward to the very same woods I spent the first eleven years of my life tromping and exploring with my brother and sister. Those very same woods have since been subdivided to home builders and a 90 acre park. We drove by the obscure entrance once, turned about and entered a small, empty leaf covered dirt lot. We were alone. It was ominous and quiet. Until my children tumbled out of the van, talking and laughing.
"Mom, is this really where you played?" one asked.
"Well, further up. We are entering from a different spot than where we lived," I begin to explain.
"Where did you live?" another questions.
"Up the hill a bit. These woods are huge," I start my explanation again.
They are satisfied for now, and rush to the trail head. Leaves crinkle, children laugh, and I try to remember. I try to remember what it was like many years ago when I was young. And, it isn't until she, at age eight going on nine, climbs onto a rock in the middle of what we called 'the big creek' that I begin to remember.
Time scales away, and I am young again, accompanied by my brother and sister, building forts of logs, sticks, and leaves; forging new trails; and racing boats of wood, nails and paper. We were free. Our only constraint was a varying description...'stay in the first two sets of woods' or 'be home by dinner time.'
And I look at her, eight going on nine, in the middle of 'the big creek' and I wonder at her raising. Would I allow her to go tromping through the woods all day with only her siblings?
When I voice these thoughts, I'm often told..."You live in a suburban area. It's completely different. Besides, the times are different now." I agree to the location variance. Suburban life and country life are different. I've lived them both.
But I wonder...are the times that different? Are we not still people: good, bad, virtuous, and sinful rolled up in flesh? And is He still not the same God watching over us all with the same love and compassion He did when I was but eight going on nine?
STOP
There is so much more I want to say with this post, but my five minutes have expired. Perhaps another day, I will revisit this and revise it, but for now, I need to process all that I was thinking and feeling yesterday when we returned to the woods. As a side note, we also went on to drive by the area I lived as a young child (now slightly different), the corn field I fell in front of the poised, ready to strike, copperhead snake, the family farm we moved to after 6th grade, and a few other places to remember along our memory lane drive.
As permitted, beyond the five minutes, I added the photos and of course checked for spelling errors. Which is good, because I originally spelled gypsy wrong. How embarrassing would that be?
~ Dorie
Thanks for sharing this remembrance. I wonder the same thing- are the times really different? or are we just dealing with the same junk, but now we all know about it? I would love to see you write more about this.
ReplyDeleteI like A Diamond in the Rough's take on it--Maybe it is the same but our society is just more aware now. I do feel sad though sometimes thinking about how my children don't get to experience the same type of wandering and freedom that I did as a child.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great memory!! My childhood was very free as well - and I'm trying to give my girls the same sense of freedom. Trying....
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this partial glimpse into your childhood memories. Sometimes, it's not always easy to remember when we, as adults, were young children. I know I have that problem sometimes.
ReplyDeleteAs for the times, in some aspects, some things are the same, and in other aspects, they are different. I guess it all depends on many varying factors.