Blog Every Day in May -- Day 18

Day 18, Saturday: Tell a story from your childhood. Dig deep and try to be descriptive about what you remember and how you felt.

FREE. That's how I felt as a child whenever I was on the swings.

I recently said "goodbye" to my childhood home and as I went from room to room, I remembered anew how unhappy I'd been there and knew I wouldn't miss it. But the yard! That was another story. I loved the yard, with the inflatable pool and trees to lay under and snow and leaves to play in and, best of all, the swingset. I could sail through air for hours at a time. Since our yard connected me to the home of my oldest friend, she often joined me. We'd swing and sing Beatle songs.

The swings in our yard were my favorite swings, but not my only ones. There was the rope swing with the wooden seat at my Grandpa's house. He built it for my Aunt Joanne when she was a little girl and I really enjoyed knowing exactly where it came from. My Grandpa loved being in his tool shop, and I liked thinking about him drilling the holes and knotting the rope. Also, it gave me an escape from the grownup discussions that grew so boring in the kitchen.

There was also the swingset at the playground. The swings there had heavy black rubber seats, perfect for laying on your tummy and swinging headfirst into the air.

The only one I wasn't crazy for was the one at school. For some reason, swings were a major "chick thing," and there was always a line of girls waiting for a turn. I wasn't interested in having my swing time monitored. That was fine for the monkey bars or the slide. But the swing! Knowing when your urge to fly is satisfied is unique to each individual and should never be regimented.