In one of my last posts, I said I had this intense desire to be silly and run to the park so I could swing. It seemed like kind of a ridiculously immature thing to want to do, but who am I kidding? I'm not exactly the picture of maturity most days. So why not indulge this childish desire right?
So that's what we did yesterday afternoon. We went to the park and intended to play on the swings. When we got there, there were already some kids playing on them, so we had to be patient and hope they'd leave so we could have fun. But even if the swings were occupied, the big slide tower wasn't. There wasn't anyone over there. So we ran over and proceeded to climb up this big contraption.
When I was a kid, we didn't have elaborate play structures like this one. We just had some stark looking metal slide that would burn your ass in the summer time. And sometimes we'd have a pile of tires to play in. It was a simpler time. But now these playgrounds are like fantasy lands. I'd actually be scared to let my little kid climb to the top of this by themselves. It's really high up! It was like a waterslide without the water. And there were little compartments you could climb into that had different slides at different levels, which I assume was so that even really small kids could enjoy it too.
But we went to the top and braved the monster slide. I made Natalie go first, not because I was afraid, but because I wanted to see how silly she looked. But her laughter was enough to convince me that it was worth losing cool points for. So I dove down the slide head first and it was quite an experience! Apparently it created a lot of static electricity so I was getting zapped the entire way down. I actually saw blue sparks! It just made the whole thing even funnier really.
Apparently Natalie had the same thing happen and her hair was actually standing up funny. This caused much laughter, so of course we had to do it again. We tried to go down together once but we got stuck. The slide tube thing wasn't really made for two adults to slide through. But we had a really fun time doing this. Probably even more fun than I used to have when I was a kid.
Eventually the swings were free though, so we ran over there and snagged them before anyone else showed up. And it really was just as exciting as I remember it being. Especially if you lean back really far because it gives you that weird butterfly feeling in your stomach. Like being on a rollercoaster. It made me laugh because it just felt good. And I didn't even care how stupid I looked.
But after awhile, we decided to have a contest to see who could jump the farthest if we let go of the swing. That was a lot of fun, even if I did fall over once and get a face full of sand. But I won! Sort of. I won if you count where my face landed and not my feet :-P
I've decided though that it's okay to be childish once in awhile. It keeps the spirit happy. You can get so bogged down by life and it's struggles and stresses, that you forget how to have fun sometimes. But I think it's important to remind yourself of that.
All you have to do is sit at a playground and watch the kids playing, and see how carefree they are. And somewhere inside all of us is that little child. They just get buried under a mountain of rubble as time goes on. But they're still in there. And you shouldn't be afraid to dig them up and let them come out and play. Trust me. It's worth it.
evil_twin posted on Mar 23, 2008
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Comments
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the_infernal_optimist said on Mar 23, 2008....
I think this is my favorite (or in the top three!) of every entry you've ever written here. :) What a fun afternoon! That sounds like the silly sort of thing I would do.
These playgrounds are crazy! The equipment is all plastic and bright and neat - nothing at all like the splinter-giving wood-and-metal towers we had! I remember burning my butt, too - because of course you never felt the slide before you went down, even if the sun was blazing in a midsummer sky. :-p
I'm so glad you guys did that. :) How cool!
~Infernal
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Sunshine_Mariah said on Mar 23, 2008....
Wow! Reading this post makes me want to run out and hop on the swings. :-) It sounds like the two of you had a blast. I would have loved to see you two stuck on the slide though...I'm sure that was a site to see. As I'm sure the face plant in the sand was too :-PIs it just me or are you two the cutest couple ever! :-)Thanks for sharing the fun times with the rest of us! Happy Easter to the both of you. -
Battycat said on Mar 23, 2008....
That sounded like great fun, I'm glad you let your inner child out to play :-)) -
botoni said on Mar 23, 2008....
You ve just unearthed one of my favorite activities. I love to let out the inner short person. It seems I have to have an excuse these days in order to retain an element of dignity. I solve it by recruiting the grandkids. Eating sphaghetti without utensils is one of my favorites. We do it on the grass in the summer while wearing bathing suits. The hose takes care of most of the droppings later. You and Nat wanna come and join in? -
fearing said on Mar 23, 2008....
I'm so proud of both of you!!!! See? Never too old. I have one problem though - don't jump out of the swings again. My oldest brother and I had a contest to see who could jump the farthest. I broke my arm days before my 3rd grade year. I won btw.
;-) Sorry...didn't mean to be a fun-sucker. Just be careful.
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skald said on Mar 23, 2008....
Kyle I sometimes forget that I am grown, When I was 8 I wanted to be with Peter Pan and friends and never grow. My inner child is always there. Thanks for the post.
You and Natalie are great.
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quietone said on Mar 23, 2008....
well I tried to answer this hours ago and I lost my internet and phone service! must be your inner ghost! LOL I am so glad you and Natalie went and played on the playground. I can bet if there were adults there that saw you 2 they were nothing but envious of you. I am sure there are lots of people that feel that same way and just don't have the guts to go and let their inner child play!! I am glad you and natalie got to just be for an afternoon. :) -
Mr_Box said on Mar 23, 2008....
Nice post, dude. It sounds like you guys had a lot of fun. The slides are awesome these days, aren't they? Much better than when we were kids.You know what else is fun and childish to play in? Ball pits. And bouncy houses. Actually anything designed for kids like that is a blast. You never get too old.Except that after jumping on that trampoline today, I'm afraid I won't be able to walk again. Maybe I am getting too old? But it was still fun. Totally worth it. -
wakingharmony said on Mar 23, 2008....
Happy Easter Mr &Mrs ET How are the honey mooners :-) I love acting like a kid but I couldn't jump off a swing when I was a kid it would make my feet hurt. but hey I still do everything else so P~~~well almost :-) -
evil_twin said on Mar 23, 2008....
Infernal--I'm glad you enjoyed this blog! It was a really fun afternoon for us. It felt good to just do something completely silly and not worry about anything. It was great!
Sunshine--You really should run to the park and try this out. You'd have a blast! Thank you for the compliments and I hope you had a nice Easter too :-)
Batty--It was a blast!
botoni--Eating spaghetti with your fingers?! That's a new one for me. But you know what? Why not! What time should we be at your house? :-P
fearing--Yes, mom ;-) I'll be careful. Seriously though, you're right. I didn't break anything thankfully, but my feet and my legs are killing me now. That never used to happen before! I think next time I'll just stick to swinging and no jumping off!
skald--I'm so glad your inner child is still there waiting to come out. Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed this!
quietone--There were some adults watching us and laughing and you could tell they wanted to join in. Too bad they wouldn't let their inner child play too. It's not as much fun to just watch!
Mr. Box--Bouncy houses are awesome! I do like those. But I had a bad experience in a ball pit once. It was at McDonalds and I jumped in there and squished an old hamburger patty someone threw in there! Yuck! If it's any consolation about the trampoline soreness, I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna be able to move tomorrow either. Not only did I jump on a trampoline with you, but my legs were already killing me from this adventure. But like you said, it was worth it!
waking--Happy Easter to you too! You know, my feet are hurting now too. But it was still fun!
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hotaka said on Mar 24, 2008....
I was just preparing photos to send to my parents from our trip to New Zealand and there's one of me up in a big gum tree. I said to K, "37 years old and I am still climbing trees." She replied, "Why not?"
I don't care about how I am supposed to act on a playground. I do what I like. I'll climb up or slide down or spin around on anything I feel like. During a school trip to a big aquarium we saw this huge rope contraption for kids to climb around on. All the parents were standing below but I went with my students and wiggled through the tunnels, climbed upside down on the ropes and followed them all over.
My child is not so inner. I was never cool in high school anyway. At least I am cool with children. It's a lot more fun. Good on you for letting go and having fun.
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queenparanoia said on Mar 24, 2008....
see i told you it's more fun with natalie... =) -
Me-Myself&I said on Mar 24, 2008....
i read this before i went to bed last night. *smile* i love my inner child, she is my best friend! ain't it a wonderful feeling to keep in touch with that side of us. have a great day! take care ~see ya -
InsighedOut said on Mar 24, 2008....
I love what someone said .. my child is not so inner! Yes I agree we all have an inner child (I have several, actually LOL) and believe it or not, they can be the wisest part of us .. perhaps it's the part of us that's still unpolluted by all the frills of adulthood. -
Mamie said on Mar 24, 2008....
oh this is immensely romantic! Yay for both of you! I am in touch with my inner child...she still loves to play dress up (oh theres a surprise) and adventure into the woods on hikes and treasure hunts.My latest adventure was one I got from a magazine...what you do is go out into nature and what you are searching for is the initials or letters for the name of...someone special. You are actually designing a gift for them using things found in nature which are shaped like the letters of their name or their initials, ya see?We took a camera too incase a fence or gate had the right curves or whatnot to stand for the letters of our daughters name. So what you end up with is a somewhat three-D version which you paste into a shadow frame or whatever you want...a plaque, a slate...and it is really cool!! Maybe you guys can do that for your next outting!!Keep having fun!!xo, M -
evil_twin said on Mar 24, 2008....
hotaka--I like climbing trees too! That used to be one of my favorite things to do. I think you can get away with playing on a playground a lot easier if you've got kids around. And soon, you'll have your very own to play with!
queen--It was a lot more fun with Natalie :-)
Me-Myself--I'm glad this made you smile :-) It is a wonderful feeling to keep in touch with that side of us!
InsighedOut--I think you're right. I think our inner children are very wise. I need to listen to mine more!
Mamie--That's an interesting idea! I wonder what sorts of things look like K's and N's....we might have to go out and try this. Thanks for the idea!
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pusscat said on Mar 24, 2008....
Good for you two! My inner child is pretty close to the surface too :-) The scars I have on my legs and knees are testiment to the fantastic play park i had to play in as a small child. The ground was solid tarmac! I came off almost every play thing at one time or another. I remember having no fear as a child though - I was invinsible! I do remember the Cricket-field though, it had a huge metal slide that had a long end so you didn't just land on your bottom on the floor like many of the new ones (never have figured out why they make them so short at the ends now?). I'm 41 but I'll do anything for a go on the swings :-)
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uniquely-ironic said on Mar 24, 2008....
I'm glad you two went and did something silly. Silly is seriously underrated these days. Why should kids have all the fun?!!I loved the monkey bars as a kid. I managed to land on my head regularly while attempting some great feat of gymnastics. (Hmmm, that answers some questions about me doesn't it?!!) I think it's sad that kids don't go to parks as often as we did as kids. -
hotaka said on Mar 25, 2008....
You'd better believe I will be joining in all the crawling and scrambling. I am looking forward to it. -
destinydiva said on Mar 29, 2008....
aww kyle that sounds like such a fun day!! :-) its so sweet that you and nat have sooo much fun together :-) xx -
PassionTraveler said on Apr 03, 2008....
I do that sort of thing all the time, Kyle. :)
PT
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