The Park
I used to play here
Different but the same
The park and I both
Today I spent the better part of my lunch break walking around a park I used to play in as a child. Even though I visit this place often, I'm still amazed but how much it has changed and how much I've changed. The old swings, slides and monkey bars have been replaced with shiny new technicolor playthings. The pea-gravel that once covered the playground has given way to wood chips and the huge old tree, in the center of it all, has been removed without a trace. In spite of all these changes, it's still my park.
If close my eyes I can still see the big hill that all of us kids eventually had to conquer on our bikes like a rite of passage. The drainage pipe my cousin John tried to ride my 3-speed across is still there, but the spot where he and the bike both fell into the creek is no longer visible through the overgrown brush. Walking along the path, I could just make out the long forgotten trails that travel along the creeks edge. My friends, my sister and I made those trails while wandering up and down the creek's bank searching for tadpoles, fish, crawdads or anything else we thought was cool. On my way back to my car I called my sister to reminisce. She's got it pretty rough right now and I just wanted to cheer her up and let her know I'm still on her side.
Adulthood changes your perspective. The bridge in the middle of the park isn't home base in a game of tag but a place to stop and catch your breath. A secluded picnic table under the trees isn't a great place to hold a birthday party, it's a place where you can sit alone and cry when your heart is broken. Little fish swimming in the creek are no longer a wonder but a metaphor that no matter what trash gets thrown in the mix, life can and will go on. I didn't see any tadpoles this trip, but I did see a few fish and while I was follow their course downstream I came upon a patch of clover under the trees. It only took a minute to find a four-leafed clover that I'm going to give to my sister.
Different but the same
The park and I both
Today I spent the better part of my lunch break walking around a park I used to play in as a child. Even though I visit this place often, I'm still amazed but how much it has changed and how much I've changed. The old swings, slides and monkey bars have been replaced with shiny new technicolor playthings. The pea-gravel that once covered the playground has given way to wood chips and the huge old tree, in the center of it all, has been removed without a trace. In spite of all these changes, it's still my park.
If close my eyes I can still see the big hill that all of us kids eventually had to conquer on our bikes like a rite of passage. The drainage pipe my cousin John tried to ride my 3-speed across is still there, but the spot where he and the bike both fell into the creek is no longer visible through the overgrown brush. Walking along the path, I could just make out the long forgotten trails that travel along the creeks edge. My friends, my sister and I made those trails while wandering up and down the creek's bank searching for tadpoles, fish, crawdads or anything else we thought was cool. On my way back to my car I called my sister to reminisce. She's got it pretty rough right now and I just wanted to cheer her up and let her know I'm still on her side.
Adulthood changes your perspective. The bridge in the middle of the park isn't home base in a game of tag but a place to stop and catch your breath. A secluded picnic table under the trees isn't a great place to hold a birthday party, it's a place where you can sit alone and cry when your heart is broken. Little fish swimming in the creek are no longer a wonder but a metaphor that no matter what trash gets thrown in the mix, life can and will go on. I didn't see any tadpoles this trip, but I did see a few fish and while I was follow their course downstream I came upon a patch of clover under the trees. It only took a minute to find a four-leafed clover that I'm going to give to my sister.
posted by YAYA at
11:32 AM
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