Are you wearing pants? No, this is not the beginnings of an obscene phone call. It’s National No Pants Day! Are you celebrating? I may or may not be bottomless right now, but either way, it’s okay! Spring is in the air. The temps are warmer and the days nicer. Now, I’m a winter girl. Sweatshirts and blankets and a nip in the air feed my soul. In fact, I recently did a One Word challenge exercise describing my perfect day with my word. I won’t bore you with all of it but it involved snow on the ground, a fuzzy blanket and a fire place in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. But I recently completed another writing exercise that had me singing about spring! Let’s play!
A fellow blogger recommended Carrie Underwood’s book Find Your Path: Honor Your Body, Fuel Your Soul, and Get Strong with the Fit52 Life. I have been in the fitness profession for almost as many years as I wasn’t, so I’m not really looking for someone to design an exercise program for me or put me on a diet. But the reviewer said just reading her personal stories motivated her and I need a little motivation to put my health first these days.
Carrie’s love of health and fitness is inspiring, but I found her journal prompts most interesting and helpful! The very first one had me turning over spring and summer days of my childhood. Such a simpler time when all I needed was my imagination and the great outdoors. Maybe my free write will bring back pleasant memories for you too!
Prompt: What are your earliest memories of physical activity? Were you into sports? Did you like to play outside?
Answer: When my family lived on Rita Street, I climbed trees in the yard. I probably wasn’t more than a few feet off the ground, but it felt dangerously high! My Papa eventually built us a tree house over the sandbox. It was simple – it didn’t even have walls or a roof – but we felt like the luckiest kids in the world. My sisters and I decorated it and held club meetings that required a secret password.
The front legs of our metal swing set came up out of the ground if we swung high enough. It felt like the whole thing could topple over. The perceived danger make it more fun. When I got my swing going as high as I could, I liked to jump out while singing the theme song from “The Greatest American Hero” TV show. “Believe it or not, I’m walking on air. I never thought I could feel so free! Flying away on a wing and a prayer. Who could it be? Believe it or no, it’s just me.” For the 2 seconds I was in the air I moved my legs as fast as I could to mimic walking on air. And I did feel free!
I loved to play in the dirt. I liked to dig worms out of the ground almost as much as I liked to pick cicada shells off the trees and plants to collect in a bucket. The mud pies I made in my sandbox/ pretend restaurant were the tastiest in town. I know my mom appreciated the storage room that sat between the backyard and our house. At the end of a day’s play, she would often step out the kitchen door and have us strip off our filthy clothes before setting foot inside. If we had turned the water hose on in the sandbox, she might use it to hose us off as well.
Our little yellow house sat catty corner from the high school’s tennis courts. My sisters and I loved to snap our metal roller skates onto our tennis shoes and skate around and around on that smooth concrete. Our best friend Jennifer from across the street came too. She had the pretty white traditional skates with colored pompoms on them. We weren’t jealous, though. Much.
We also invited Jennifer to play badminton or croquet in the back yard. I’m sure the equipment came from a garage sale, but we didn’t care. We also rode our bikes all over the neighborhood. We often picked up more friends from other girl named streets like Joyce and Scarlett. The developer named all the streets after his daughters. I loved to explore and pick up speed with freedom and a breeze for wings.
I came to organized sports a little later than most of my friends. My twin sister and I asked to play little league softball in the 4th grade because our friends did. We had a learning curve to catch up to the others. This is probably the first memory I have of competition and comparison. Sports didn’t come easy to me but I loved being active and a team dynamic. I would go on to try my hand at volleyball, basketball and track before graduating into the real world.
No matter what I did outside, the best part was running in the house to stand in front of the window air conditioning unit to cool off. Nothing ever felt better. I’m still convinced. I would stand there as long as my mom would let me. She would eventually tell us to quit hogging the AC. We would get a drink or a snack and then head back out again.
All this nostalgia makes me wistful for play. At what age do we decide it’s unnecessary? I know I do a horrible job of incorporating it into my days. And I’m sure I’d be a lot better for it. My idea of play may not include worms anymore. (If you like worms, you do you!) But it probably would include being outside. While it’s true I am an avid indoorsman now, I think I’d do well to shake up my routine. Especially in the spring.
“Those who play rarely become brittle in the face of stress or lose the healing capacity for humor.” -Stuart Brown, MD
And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!
I have been journaling lately and it has been so revelatory, so Michele Morin’s post Journal Keeping as a Tactic for Self Awareness and God Awareness was so helpful to me. I pray it will be for you too.
1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.
2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.
3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).
We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.
MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
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LAUREN SPARKS
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LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
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TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
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Thanks so much for sharing my post! So glad your journaling life is working so well for you!
I’m always so glad to share your work, Michele!
I have fond memories as a child playing outside as well. Now as an adult I still play outside…in my garden! Thanks for the party.
I love to pull weeds, but have never had the desire to really plant. Not sure why.
Although I was not at all athletic, I remember climbing trees and riding bikes a lot as a kid. It’s amazing that we’d go all over in bikes for hours at a time–I can’t imagine letting my kids do that at least until they were teens. At my aunt’s house, where I had three cousins close in age, we could hear her whistle from almost anywhere, and that was our signal to come home.
I never played organized sports except in PE. I wasn’t terribly coordinated, was the last kid picked for teams, etc. So even though I was fit as a child, I’ve not been as an adult. I might look up Carrie’s book. I don’t know if I need motivation–I have plenty of good reasons to get moving–or just need to take myself by the scruff of the neck and get to it.
Thanks for sharing your memories. And my “scruff” has been worn out many times!
What an interesting post! I didn’t start organized sports until 5th grade and I had a big learning curve, too. That’s one reason I started my kids early because my lack of experience made me feel embarrassed as a kid. Now I have found my love of running and try to keep that up in my daily routine.
I went through a running phase. It never came easy for me but at the time I needed a fitness challenge. The last few years I have been plagued by injuries and other issues and had to take it down to walking. But I so admire anyone who runs!
Outside play is the BEST 🙂
At 65, I still “play” outside every chance I get 😉
Have a funtastic week!
I love this. I wanna be you when I grow up, Valeria!
Play is important, isn’t it! I don’t make enough time for it either. And as an on-again off-again journaler, I look forward to reading Michele’s post.
Thanks for putting in your two cents, Donna. I always appreciate it!
I loved reading about your memories of outdoor play. I used to love making mud pies too! Oooh, that treehouse sounds so wonderful too. Thank you for sharing. Hopping over from Inspire Me Monday.
Thank you for visiting! It was fun to remember and write about. I hope it made you think about the things you loved to do!
Lauren,
Does swinging ever grow old?
As a twin sibling, competing everywhere, we swing, to-date, with all nieces and nephews.
A fine way to remember that we are still children in the eyes of Our Father!
Thanks for popping over to the ask for help blog post!
We cherish your support.
H E
I am a twin sibling too! We have a lot in common. And I do still enjoy a swing now and then.
Journaling certainly is therapeutic…I find blogging is too 🙂 Outside play was definitely my favorite activity along with dancing…and swimming…those are my earliest activities that I can recall…thanks for prompting me to remember
I never did any dance training as a child. We didn’t have the money. But I always loved to make up routines to my favorite songs as a child. Thank you for reminding me of that!
Hi Lauren, thank you for commenting over on my side. I’m glad I popped on over here. Your reminder to “play” is a great one. The last few years definitely has dampened a lot of joy and fun that I believe the Lord has for us. Let us not let the enemy win!
God bless
Tracy
I hadn’t even thought about what the pandemic has done to the little bit of play we adults do! Good point, Tracy.
Great post! You inspired me to remember my own childhood days of playing outdoors without a care in the world. We adults would all benefit from putting a bit of play into our daily routines.
Thank you for participating in Talent-Sharing Tuesdays Link-Up 19.
Carol
http://www.scribblingboomer.com
I agree! Without a care in a the world is a good way to describe it!
Hi Lauren,
I climbed trees, sang that song, and clunked around in my metal skates once in a while. I also loved collecting wildflowers and special rocks. More than anything, I loved hiding under a tree and reading. I haven’t changed much–although I might prefer the beach now.
Blessings,
Tammy
Reading on the beach sounds heavenly right about now!
Lauren Thanks for taking me back to nostalgic memories from my childhood. I remember playing many of the same things as you. I also recalled playing hide and go seek and kick the can at dusk with the kids in my neighborhood. Also, I remember one of the moms on the street mine included would take turns calling us inside in the summer evenings when the street lights came on. I still am known for stomping in a puddle or two in the summer.
I love it that you still like to play in puddles. Good for you!
I used to dig for worms and try to catch frogs in my dad’s pond. I remember catching fireflies in jars and getting so muddy and dirty playing outside all day long. I definitely do not do that anymore but I did catch tadpoles alongside my boys and help them raise a turtle. I still find I’m happiest in nature though I prefer photographing it now rather than digging in it.
Oh photographing it is a whole other form of appreciation isn’t it? Thanks for adding to the conversation, Joanne!
Such lovely memories, Lauren! I agree, play is essential to adults too. And mine does not include worms. LOL!
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
I don’t blame you, Michelle! Thanks for reading and commenting.