Swings

 When I was growing up, I lived right across the street from a park.  Every morning I would look out my living room window and literally a child's playground was within walking distance.  The magic my sister and I would create could take us around the world.  The slide would be a rocket that could shoot us to the moon.  The days Mom would send us with a sheet of wax paper to "grease" the slide, boy would we fly.  Faster and faster every trip down.  

The bridge was a bridge over a moat leading to a private castle just for me.  The merry go round (yes, when I was little we had a merry go round, I guess this was before the child safety laws) was amazing.  We would run and run and run in the middle until everyone sitting would be fighting to stay on as they fought centrifugal force.  Then we would jump up and ride it out.  Thankfully I don't remember anyone puking.  Although at the speeds we were moving someone should have.  I also don't remember anyone flying off the merry go round.  Which I also find surprising.  Maybe we were going as fast as I remember.  We loved the merry go round.  Until it got struck by lighting.  The lighting made it melt together and could no longer spin.  A non spinning  merry go round sucks!  (At least this is my memory of why the merry go round got removed.  I could be wrong.  I have false memory syndrome.  It could have just been a safety hazard.  I like my version better.)

My favorite part of the park was the swings.  I am sure if I totaled up all the time I spent on those swings, it would equal at least a year.  I loved pumping and pumping and just flying through the air.  That moment where I would reach the peak of height and I would feel weightless, was a rush.  I loved flying so high I was sure the swing was going to go over the pole at the top and I would do a full circle.  By the way, I don't think that is possible, I tried many times.  

Even in college I loved my swings.  When papers would get overwhelming or roommates got on my nerves or I just needed to get out of the dorm, I would find the nearest set of swings.  I would then swing my brains out.  It was my way of swinging my problems away.  I find swings to be fun and therapeutic. 

 Recently, I took Little Man to the park near us.  It was his first time in the swings since he could hold his head up.  I think he shares my love of the swings.  He would just smile and smile.  He talked to me about all the fun he was having.  When I took him out he whined and whined, but we had to let other people get a turn.

So while we were taking a break from swinging, I got to thinking about life.  Life is like a swing.  There are highs and lows in your adventure.

Some days you feel like you have spent your entire day pumping your ever loving brains out and you have gotten no where.  It is like the human version of a hamster wheel.  

Some days life is like when you were first learning to swing and you would sit and swing your legs, swearing that you were pumping but nothing would happen.  You would be stuck in that place where your legs are too short to touch the ground so you can't even get moving in the right direction.

Some days life makes you sick and tired and you just want to get off the swing and take a break from life.  Those days are exhausting and make you feel like Little Man looks in the above picture.  

And you hope for days when you can relax and enjoy the ride.  Days where God gives you a glimpse of the big picture in life.  Days where you can sit back and enjoy the scenery around you.

Then there are days which are so wonderful they make you squeal with delight.  Hoping that there will be more days like this.

These days make you beg for more days of fun and adventure.  Just like Little Man is doing above.  Please Momma, Please more.

However, if life was full of all ups and no downs, it would be awkward.  You will be stuck at the top of life and you would get bored.  Because half of the fun at the top is riding the wave back to he bottom to go back up top.  And if life was full of downs, well, it would be depressing.  It is during the ups and downs of life that you learn, you grow, you enjoy life.  Just like a ride on a swing you can't have the ups without the downs.

So where ever you are in your life right now, whether in an up or a down, may you be enjoying life.  May you be growing and changing and learning as you go.  May you truly be enjoying the ride.

Then may you find a place to relax that is as comforting as being rocked to sleep by your Dad.