It’s never too late to …

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been”…and…to go to the playground. My man and I were riding bikes past a playground when we both looked across our handlebars at each other and knew. We had to stop and play. That’s the thing about our relationship. He “gets” it! Anyway, as we leaned the bikes against the chain link fence it occurred to me that I’d spent my young life without even knowing how to play. I’d go to the playground and watch in awe as the other kids floated across the monkey bars, wondering how they did it so effortlessly and why I fell off on the first rung time after time.

Anyway, we opened the gate and stepped onto the interlocked black pads. This cushiony flooring was definitely not standard at kid parks back in the day. How we ever survived the concrete ground, scrape after scrape, is beyond me. We definitely didn’t have anything catching our falls. Was it because most kids were tougher back then? I mean, I wasn’t but maybe they were? The swings beckoned. With every push I could feel his strong hands on my back and I floated, both loving and hating that butterfly flippity flop feeling as the swing came down after each launch. Such a funny sensation. The knot in your gut is awful but you can’t wait to feel it again with each push.

The other “kids” around us seemed curious but welcoming as they tried to figure out what we were doing there. But once they realized that we were serious about this playtime we fit right in as we took our turns waiting at the top of the slide’s ladder for someone to head down before us. Then off to the jungle gym. Thus the photo. My every move alongside the little kids climbing was purposeful. I was determined to be here and do this playing, until after awhile all the others had gone and I still moved from rung to rung. My honey had, by now, retired to a bench to relax and watch with a chuckle. Before I stepped down to head outside the gate and continue our bike ride I looked across at him and he smiled. I knew he was as happy we’d stopped as I was. This visit did the trick. No, it’s never too late to go to the playground and you know what? We just might go again!