What We Did for Fun
August is here and that means it’s almost time for kiddos going back to school. In fact, my grandson, Brennan, is now at University of Mary Hardin Baylor where he and his parents nestled him into his dorm yesterday. How can it be? It seems this summer flew by.
It has been so hot in Texas that we’ve stayed inside for most of it! But, I remember, as a child, that the heat didn’t stop us from outdoor fun. We often admitted to boredom during the summer. But that boredom made us creative and caused us to come up with grand ideas – mostly outdoor ideas. Mind you – we didn’t have the technology gadgets and gaming that kids today have for road trips or home entertainment.
Did you complain of boredom when you were a kid? I did. My Mom’s reply to that – “Go outside and play. Make some soup.” WHAT? Oh, I knew what she meant. She wanted me to go outside because that’s where we had lots of “playgrounds” that resolved boredom by offering great opportunities for imagination and adventures.
My playground was a mimosa tree in our front yard that I climbed and pretended I was in a fortress from all my enemies and when I got hungry, I made a delicious imaginary soup to share with my friends.
Those memories came back to me when we were in East Texas and mimosa trees were abundant. I still think a mimosa is the most delightful tree. Its leaves are like ferns. Its flowers are pink puffballs. It blooms in summer when few other trees do and when the puffballs fade, the tree grows hundreds of 6-inch long, bean-like, brown seedpods which hang from every branch.
Not only did we climb my tree and ward off evil pirates from my “tree ship”, but we would take the bean pods and break it up into a big pot. We’d add the leaves, seeds, pods, and flowers, and add a little dirt for seasoning. Then, we pretended to cook it and enjoy our scrumptious pot of mimosa stew!
BTW – I found out in writing this post for today, that we could have boiled up the flowers for a real mimosa healthy drink. Both its flowers and bark were traditionally used as a sedative, specifically for calming and lifting one’s spirit. HOLY MOLY! I could use a jug of it right now as I type this blog.
We also pretended to be schoolteachers and mothers and fathers, and sometimes we did some things that required bravery – like riding our bicycles with no hands or jumping off the high diving board.
Sometimes our imaginations went too far. I’ll never forget the trouble my friend and I got into when we wanted a swimming pool and dug an 8 ft X 8 ft X 1 ft hole in my backyard. We were caught when we were adding water to “our luxurious mud pit”.
I’ll bet you can remember some wild and crazy adventures when you were a kid. Those adventures sure did break up boredom. I am on a soapbox for living life to the fullest, with no room for boredom.
In Matthew 18:3, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you change and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” What exactly does that mean, especially when you’re as “mature” as I am? Of course, God wants us to come before Him as children, because children are innocent, and trust with a pure heart.
To go before God as a child is to go with wide-eyed wonder that comes from total faith. Our Heavenly Father – our great Creator was an Adventurer par excellence (just think about all the adventures He directed His kids into – water-walking, water-parting, boat rides on stormy seas, giants tumbling with a mere stone from a shepherd boy’s sling, falling into pits and landing up in a palace).
It sure seems like, as His children, it should be just “natural” to be adventure seekers because of the childlike faith we possess. And, oh, the adventure Carl and I are on! Stay tuned for the details! I love you all so much!