Joy

  So last night we had one of our impromptu gatherings. We have a lot of those here in the summer. It varies where we go to have them. Last year it was at my house. This year it seems to be at our friend Lori's home as it is more centrally located, next year? who knows?

 So we gathered on Lori's deck, and sat down to chat. Mother nature has been putting us through our paces, blistering hot one day, then days of rain. Yesterday was the same as everyday this week, pouring rain through the night and morning then blistering hot weather in the afternoon followed by fog and wind in the early evening.

Yesterdays "hot" session had been a little too much and was sufficient to drive us all out doors. So we are sitting there chatting watching the fog roll in, for some reason we did not sit on the deck chairs on the deck. we just sat on the huge sprawling stair case that lead up to the deck. If we had sat on the deck chairs we never would have thought to do what we did next.

It started because Lori was walking back in forth in front of the stairs, on the grass in her sock feet, You could tell by the look in her eyes, and the way she looked down at the grass that she really just wanted to take those socks off and feel the grass between her toes. But at that particular second, she was too firmly stuck in her adult self.  After a few seconds of listening to the rest of us coaxing, she did take them off and you could see right away that part of the adult was suppressed and by the twinkle in her eye, some of her inner kid was out. 

 In a few minuets, Lori and Suzanne were doing cart wheels on the front lawn and laughing their heads off  as the rest of us sat and watched and laughed. Lori's home is built on top of a hill, the next thing both girls had run down the hill and were running around in circles with their arms out airplane style shouting "WEEEEEE!!!"

When they came back up, they were out of breath and all smiles, But they weren't done. As I said Lori's house was built at the top of the hill so most of her front lawn is hill, with the top of the hill being made up of a second smaller steeper hill. There are stone steps that go up the steeper part and the the wooden steps which are attached to the house that we were sitting on .

This is actually a picture part of Lori's front yard, so you get the idea. Lori wanted to roll down the steeper part, but then froze, "I cant do that" she said,  Yep looks like she is slowly coming back to full adult. 

 " I will!!" Craig our fire chief, who is very adventurous and loves to have fun ran down the steps , He laid down on his back and then rolled down the hill. When he got to the bottom, for a second he didn't move then we noticed he was laughing, the kind of laugh that starts all the way down in your toes, and just bubbles up that you cant stop. He was dizzy and once he was able to stand up he said " That was FUN! everyone should do that!!" 

 Two seconds later Lori and Suzanne had done the same with the same result. Lori came running up , " Come on Angie, " She said " I will do it again if you will!"

That was really all I needed. I was off those steps in two seconds flat.  

As I laid down on the grass and looked up at the sky a funny thing occurred, I realized I had not laid on the grass and looked at the sky from that perspective since I was ten years old. Why do we stop doing things like that when we grow up?

The next thing I knew I was rolling down the hill. Now I am a big girl, so I picked up some speed, I had to stop myself before I got hurt so I put my elbows out and managed to stop. But while I was spinning down the hill, everything just spun away, there was no work. no responsibility, no bills , no paperwork, no stress, there was just pure unencumbered joy.

 I am not sure why nature takes away the inclination to do silly things like that when we grow up. But let me tell you, Craig is right . Everyone should do that! Children know something we as adults do not. They know how to let everything go and just be joyful.  Most of the time we are so busy getting through life we forget simple pleasures like rolling down a hill.

Once I stopped laughing and the world stopped moving ( I was very dizzy) We went back to our normal grown up selves.  For just a few moments though, we had recaptured our childhood selves and just had fun.  In the end only two of us didn't take the plunge down the hill. But that's OK, maybe they will next time.

If you get a chance to roll down a grassy hill, please go for it. I am pretty sure you haven't done that since you were little. It really is  very fun. Everyone should try it!