Peace and Greetings, Dear Creator!
Thank you for the great snow that came last night. Picturesque, it was a treat to walk downtown. I could easily imagine horse-drawn sleighs rather than automobiles. Just thinking about it has me smiling.
I’ve said it before – I enjoy the winter. The virgin landscape following a fresh snowfall is fertile and inviting for adventure. Snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, mountaineering, ice-climbing; or just dog-walking, snowball fights, snow castles, or snow angels in the park. How about sledding? I remember spending days as a kid, rocketing down neighborhood hills, and then marching back up for another run. Staying outside for hours, and then coming inside for a hot cup of cocoa.
There’s something helpful, and constructive, in remembering how I played as a child. To remember what I was like; what I liked to do; what I could do for hours at a time, transported beyond time, carried away by focus, concentration, and fun.
Often, for me, it involved sports. Whether tossing a baseball, kicking a soccer ball, playing catch with a Frisbee, or pitching golf balls in the backyard – I recognize the hours and hours of “play” I spent in my youth was how I practiced the basic skills of sports, and how I developed my senses and abilities. I got to know myself and some of what I could do, by playing.
I also spent a great amount of my youth imagining – watching clouds with shapes and forms; playing cowboys or superheroes with neighborhood kids, constructing personal essays in my head to express and understand my own thoughts and perspective of my life and my world – even back then. I read a lot, and imagined being able to articulate all that I was considering, hopefully as well and skillfully as the authors I was reading.
I enjoyed statistics – mostly, all the baseball stats listed in the sport pages all summer long. The numbers really seemed to matter – who was the best hitter, and the best team; the pitcher with the lowest ERA, fewest walks, and most strikeouts. From that, I was motivated to learn math and statistics, and I developed a motivation driven by the numbers.
I’m still a numbers guy – how many steps have I taken today? How far did I run? How fast? How many putts per round? How many greens in regulation? How many fairways hit?
How many days have I written? How many pages in total have I written?
I think I have a helpful, motivating relationship with the numbers. I don’t get upset or discouraged by a slow run or not reaching 10,000 steps – I accept it. But, I also use it as motivation to get out and walk, or keep running and training.
So, all this is how I spent a lot of time as a kid – naturally drawn to action and activities that built my coordination and strength, or that tapped into and exercised my creativity. And, when I partook of these activities, I was engrossed and catapulted to a place separate from time.
I sometimes remember with amazement how many hours I would spend on summer days, pitching golf balls in the back yard – from one spot to a skinny maple tree, from the maple toward a telephone pole, then from the telephone pole back to the first spot. Around, around, and around this circuit – and not because I had to or was told to. I just enjoyed the intrinsic challenge of how to use a golf club to hit a golf ball to a target.
Hit one close? Try to repeat it with the next shot. Hit one poorly? Try to do better with the next one.
I recognize that I didn’t get engrossed in every activity. I appreciate that I have a connection with physical movement and sport, and the challenges they incorporate; and that I also enjoy tapping into and challenging my creative, expressive side.
These loves are still within me. Part of the joy I’ve re-discovered in recent years comes from giving myself permission to explore and play again in these areas. And, not just give myself permission – to make these activities a priority, to play and explore and challenge myself with learning and practicing; with doing things that transport me beyond time and space.
What did you enjoy as a kid? Where did you spend most of your time? What are memories of happiness from your childhood?
Do you dare to remember?
Thanks for reminding me, Great Spirit!
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