Walk In My Shoes

For the last few months I have been walking in the evenings.  Our neighborhood has sidewalks.  It is a good way to burn up some calories, get some exercise per the doctor's orders, spend time outside, and truly become familiar with my new surroundings.  Truly a win all the way around.  Each time I try and walk a slightly different route, so that I see something new.  Of course, there are plenty of houses that I walk by all of the time.

We have a cable guy in our neighborhood.  Even though he parks in his driveway he still uses the traffic cones to block his truck front and back, like he would if he parked it on the street at a service call.  Does anyone else think that is odd?  He also has a television in his garage.  Every time I have gone by it is on.  I am beginning to think the garage must be his Man Cave.  All I know is this: if so, the Man Cave is hot.  We live in Florida.  I would rather live in the house.

There is one house on our street that is loaded with squirrels.  I have never seen so many squirrels in one place... ever.  I think a notice must have gone out on the Squirrel Hotline that there were a lot of nuts there or something and they came from all over to settle down.  Now, it is one huge squirrel settlement.  I am so glad that we don't live there.  My dog thinks that squirrels are meant to be hunted down like prey and killed.  Having that many squirrels run past our windows shaking their little tails at her would drive her insane.  That said, I always enjoy walking past that house and watching all of the busy little squirrels run to and fro. 

It occurred to me about a week ago, after having a lovely conversation with an older couple who was out taking care of their garden, that I never see children playing.  I see older people tending their lawns or gardens on a regular basis.  I know that there are plenty of children in my neighborhood.  I see them going from house to car occasionally.  Sometimes I see evidence of their existence in the garage (aka a scooter or bike), but I never see the kids themselves out playing with other kids in the yard or even the street.  We don't live on a busy street. 

In fact, we live on a street very much like the one I grew up on.  The street  at the end of the road is rather busy, but the street traffic is fairly restricted to the people who actually live here.  If I had children tween age and older, I wouldn't have any problems playing in the front yard or with other kids who lived on the street.  I would probably employ the same rules my parents did.  If you are going to play with a friend who doesn't live on the street, I want to know about it.  If you are on the street, have at it.  You cannot go off the street.  Have fun.  Be home for dinner.  My mom had a whistle.  She would stand outside and blow it at dinner time.  If we didn't hear it, a call would go down the street, from kid to kid, or parent to kid, that me or my brother was being called home for dinner.  Very effective system. 

In fact, when I was growing up, all the kids played outside.  There was always activity in the street.  If there wasn't a kickball game going, there were kids playing with chalk.  Or jump rope.  Or skating.  There was a short skateboarding phase until one of the kids fell and broke her arm.  That ended that one.  All of the cars on our street knew to go slow because there were ALWAYS kids playing in the street. 

I wondered why I was having such a difficult time relating to C-Man and H-Girl, who are now teenagers.  I was saying things to myself like, "I was a kid once, I should be able to find some common ground here."  But there isn't any.  My childhood and their childhood don't look remotely the same.  I can see it clearly now.


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