As I was cutting the lawn the last two weeks I came to the realization of a sad fact...
The space underneath the swing was no longer as bald of a patch of dirt--grass and weeds were beginning to grow there and I had never seen those sights before. It occurred to me that she was no longer gliding on the wind and singing to herself in her own safe place in the world...a place where she was the singing star--honing her talent singing to an audience of crickets, lightning bugs, rays of sunshine and an occasional fox or squirrel.
You see...everything eventually changes and we are left with the reality of the present. Some changes and some new realities are welcomed...many times we are left longing for the past.
I stopped mowing the lawn to reminisce of the many, many years she would ride the swing without a care...the time of drama where she was burdened by acceptance and finding her place amongst groups at school...thought about her belting out a song's lyrics with precision and melodic passion.
The swingset had been there for all of it...a witness to the passing of time and coming of age. An audience member for the songs of years of melodies...
I am writing this now thinking about what my "swingset" in life growing up would be? What and where was my place of creativity, safety and dreaming?
Was it the sun drenched summer days of endless fishing adventures in the Tohickon creek? Endless hours of shooting hoops in the driveway dreaming of playing playoff games against imaginary foes? Playing softball and running like the wind with speed and reckless abandon? Playing trumpet softly and sweetly to a self composed tune in my basement with the greatest of passion?
We all have had places--someplace that was that place of safety and dreaming...every now and then as we grow older there comes something of a ghost calling to us from the present age...something that reminds us --hey--it's ok to still dream...it could a trip to the beach and hearing the rolling ocean waves...the beauty of a walk in the wooded park...sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking majestic views....whatever it is...go there...go there and dream again and remember you were created for more than working long hours and solving problems at work....we need to unplug in the right ways to recharge and center ourselves...with our families...our challenges in life..and with our God.
We were created to unplug and sometimes to again find our "swingset" --and love and dream. It actually makes us better able to re-engage the world and the challenges facing us each day. Ecclesiastes 3---a time for everything.
