Ever hear a parent say, “Get off your lazy ass and go outside!” How profound that has turned out to be. The fly in the ointment these days here in America is most parents suffer the hoverdrone. Outside is full of unsafe horror and death. Can we even go out without a helmet anymore? Or walk to school? Or what I remember best of Summer vacation, getting on my bike after breakfast and not showing up back home until dinner. I did a hundred things a day.
So what did we do way back when on a Summer day? Biked by everyone’s house to see who was available. Played hardball. Flew a kite. Biked a trail though the woods.Fished out used condoms in a stream with a stick and flicked them at Sue Ann. Stole lighter fluid from Billies house. Bought kitchen matches at the A&P. Burned poop in a box. Swam at public pool and tried to peek in the girls dressing room. Went off the high dive telling everyone to WATCH ME! Rode down the mile long hill on Highway 8 and the chain came off. Had baloney sandwiches Sammy’s mom made us. Swam in the river with our clothes on. Got beat up by Al. Put a penny on the railroad track. Went to the dump and found neat stuff. Ate a popsicle. Went to Big Jim’s hobby store and looked at car and tank models. Bought baseball cards and chewed lots of bubblegum. Put a cherry bomb in Old Lady Bess’s garbage can. Went to the drug store and had a nickle coke.Got home at 6pm for dinner a little scraped up, dirty and tired.
And did it all, are you ready? Did it all… Without a phone anywhere. And I did it a thousand times.