When I learned that this month's newspaper theme was on summertime
fun, I was anxious to contribute. What was it like for you
growing up? Most of us probably think of strict parents,
teenage crushes and school bullies. When I was younger and asked
that question, my first thought was of my year as a high school freshman (flat-chested, padded bra, gym class--you know what that means;
absolute torture).
Years later
when I was asked that question, my first thought was of my irritating parents.
Now when I'm asked that question, my first thought is . . . I had an
awesome childhood! Isn't it interesting how our outlook
improves? We all make the decision whether to look at life as the
glass half empty or half full. I think my "half full" outlook began when my
daughter was born. I wanted her to love the outdoors as much as I
did.
When I was
young, my parents loaded all of us kids in the camper and we hit the road for
our summertime vacation. We camped in every national park west of the
Mississippi, hiked most of the trails, and rode dirt bikes in the tallest of
sand dunes. I have always had a strong connection with nature, and I owe this
to my parents. But I was a young wanderer, and this caused them many a gray
hair. I was never lost or fearful -- I just had another canyon to explore, tree
to climb, or animal to track. And there wasn't a frog or lizard I couldn't
catch!
If you grew up
with this kind of summertime recreation, then you know the exhilaration I'm
talking about. Thank goodness cell phones, text messaging and the
internet hadn't been invented by then. As fond as I am of these electronic
conveniences now as an adult, I think they've robbed our younger generation from
experiencing the pure fun of outdoor recreation.
When my
daughter was young, I bought a little pop-up trailer and she and I hit the road
for our summertime vacations. We had a lot of fun (other than diarrhea episodes
and running to roadside bathrooms). Perhaps not always great memories, but my
best photograph is of her sitting beside a stream with her nose buried in a
book. She's an adult now and, although adverse to camping (h-o-t-e-l), in 10
years or so someone will ask her what was it like growing up. I don't know if
she'll have achieved her "half full" outlook by then, but someday, her response
will be, "I had an awesome childhood! Let me tell you about it."
