On any given summer day, we were always aroused from our sleep by the sound of a lawn mower in the distance, the sound of birds singing, and the little boy who lived next door playing on his backyard swing and singing the same few bars of his celebration to the childhood hero of that time -- Gigantor. The sounds and smells of the summer day lured us outside, and as we tumbled out of our bunk beds and scrambled to meet the call, our anticipation and excitement grew as we could hardly wait to see what adventures awaited us at the playground. Playing street games such as tag, hide ‘n seek, and mother, may I? were just a few of the ways we would occupy our time. Nothing could replace skating, bike riding, and swimming in the neighborhood pond in the woods except being treated to rides at the local amusement park. It never seemed too hot to be outside in the summer sun because we knew that the ice cream truck would slowly make its rounds through the neighborhood giving us all a wonderful cool treat. By early evening, someone would always bring a radio outside and we would dance in the street and in our backyards to soulful rock ‘n roll tunes. Summer nights would find us sipping lemonade on our porch or taking a stroll in the evening breeze before relaxing in a warm tub… our thoughts already planning to do it all over again the following day. It was indeed a fun time.
Even though I’m now an adult with grandchildren, I still hold dear the “fun times” and I try to share them with my children and my children’s children by riding bikes, going skating in a roller rink, being treated to candy and ice cream, and plenty of dancing. Skating and dancing bring back the best memories of my childhood and those activities always make me feel young again. Everyone should dance. Allowing yourself to be swayed by the music relaxes your body and eases any tension. I wish children today knew how great it used to be growing up in a simpler, less complicated time… and I wish kids today knew how to have as much fun as I had.
