I'm filled with nostalgia today. Thinking of my childhood, and people from my past.Life in the small town where I spent (as my Dad would call them), my formative years.
One of my favourite memories is playing Chase with the kids from the neighbourhood. The great thing about Chase was that everyone played. We had kids as young as 8 and kids that came home for the weekend from college.(or jail). It was hide'n seek, except with teams. We would have 3 square blocks to run and hide in,nothing was off limits. We hid in strangers sheds, under cars,someones front porch. It was heaven.
The other game we played was kick the can. I can still see my brother 'Menty' clothesline-ing himself during one particularilly wild game. We never locked our doors. Everyone said hello to each other. There were no secrets in our small town.
Sometimes, I yearn for those days. I wish that my girls could live such a simple life. The local cops used to drive us home on slow nights, and sometimes, they even flashed the lights. Yup. Life was good.
I guess when I feel down, when it feels like life has kicked me in the head, AGAIN, I have those memories to draw from.
Life really was good.
7 comments:
"Came home from college, or jail."
Ha ha!
I just know I'm not cut out for town life, because I read this and I know what a great life it was, and all you kids pedalled around on your bikes and had so much freedom, but man, I think about myself now and I'd be the grumpy ol broad shaking my pitchfork and yellin, "You got-damn kids git off ma property!!!"
Oh yeah, there was a lot of that, too. We did peddal all over town, and I'm sure that we drove our neighbours crazy. But man, it was fun!!!!
I am so lucky to still live in a town like that...:-)
I have made big sacrifices to raise my son here, though, it hasn't always been easy...
there are still those places, though they are few and far between. we had moms everywhere...we could have a snack anywhere(except my house!), be out til dark, trusted most people we met not to kidnap us... but I think, in a way, that was folly, too. the same things were out there that haunt kids today. it just wasn't common knowledge. i know "things happened" ...sometimes we heard about them, sometimes we didn't...and our much more sheltered 70's minds did not know what "things could happen" really meant.
Can you believe that I used to hitch hike? Things did happen in our little town too, but you're right, you didn't hear about it as much.
Hi to my new friend, simply amethyst!!!
can you believe I used to pick up hitchhikers? Ack.
I would never pick up a hitch hiker. I'm not brave enough. When I used to hich hike, it was in and around our small town. I knew nearly everyone that drove by. Still I think how lucky I am to have never been attacked or robbed.
I had a guy friend that used to travel with me,safety in numbers and all of that. HE got hit on one time by an old guy in a V.W bug, and we high tailed it outta there pretty quick.
The neighbouring town had a curfew, too,so sometimes we had no choice but to get the hell outta dodge any way possible. Those were
the days...
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