The gates of the house I grew up in were ten feet high, or twenty. They towered over me and weighed a tonne. Only a giant could even think of scaling them, I always thought.
But despite their size, they were perfect for swinging on. For many years after that, I did not find a swingable gate.
Yesterday, I taught my kids to swing on the tiny gates in their grandfather's house. They love it, and have already spent several hours doing nothing else.
But watching them play, I wonder if my gates were really as gigantic as I remember.
_____
A
drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.
What about you? Have you swung on gates? And are they really as big as they seemed when we were kids?
And do check out Danette's fantastic post on perspective-
here.
18 comments:
Rayna - What a great 'photo! I love the intensity and focus that both boys have.
Our perspective does change so much, doesn't it, as we get older and as life happens to us. The places I remember living never had gates, so gate-swinging wasn't an option. But I definitely remember things being bigger than they really are if I think about them from my childhood perspective.
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Last summer, I visited a cottage of an estranged family member, where I'd spent many summers as a child, and found that I sould now see over a "mountain." Sobering.
So much fun.
Bet they weren't as big as you remember. Your boys probably think they are twenty feet tall as well. But if they're having fun, that's all that matters.
Of course they were gigantic to you when you were a child because you were only small. In much the same way, a medium-sized dog is the size of a lion to a little child.
How sweet you are. Thanks for the mention!!
The gates weren't large on the farms I grew up on but the barn full of hay bales were like mountains and full of adventures. My brothers and my cousins and I had hours of fun climbing there. My children never had fun like that. They don't have hay barns like that anymore.
What does their grandfather say about the gate swinging?
This was very sweet. I don't remember gates, but I remember monkey bars-the tallest one was the one only particularly brave souls or older kids could reach. The smallest one we used to haul ourselves up and wrap our legs around and hang there like sloths...quite fun once you finally manage it. :)
Thanks for sharing this story! It was very nostalgic.
Yes, I have swung on gates and around railings (don´t know how to explain in English; I hope it makes sense) - and they *were* huge then.
NB: I have known for a long time what drabbles are, but you have inspired me to write my first one. Well, it was partly because I *should* mark essays today but I grew so bored I had to write something in order to survive. And a sinister drabble seemed to be the perfect choice. Afterwards I dutifully returned to my essays and marked them all :D
Love the photo. I loved swinging on gates when I was a kid
I have a question for you, your kids often wear those crocs, are they comfy? I often think of buying some.
CD
@ Margot- we moved out of the place I grew up in when I was 11, and lived in the next place for another 11 years. Never re-visited either place because I would like to have my memories remain uncontaminated by reality.
@ salarsenッ- thank you.
@ Will- isn't it a moment of profound saddness when that happens.
@ Dyche- absolutely.
@ Alex- ten feet tall at least.
@ Fiona- I wonder what they make of the really big dogs.
@ Danette- those memories are precious, aren't they. and I do think we had more fun growing up than the kids have.
@ Diane- he's not seen them at it yet, and I am going to keep it that way for as long as I can. For all you know, he will deem it too dangerous.
@ Oddyoddyo13- monkey bars were always fun. Thank you for reminding me of them.
@ Dorte- yes, things like that get easily translated.
And I read your drabble, and think it is fantastic. You are awesomely talented- there is just so much you have packed into that story.
@ Melissa- that was great fun, wasn't it? Still is.
@ Clarissa- given the fact that the younger one went to sleep in his crocs yesterday, I would assume they are comfortable.
When we are small we find things are huge and big (when we look at it later as adults)
Go to your old classroom and see how the class has shrunk.
I visited my old elementary school a few years ago and I couldn't believe how low the ceilings were. They had seemed so high when I was a child. It was amazing that it was the same building.
@ Haddock- I wonder why things have shrunk so much in just a few years.
@ kmckendry- that must have been quite an experience. And I bet it was not a very happy one.
Yes, things were so much bigger when I was three feet tall! We even swung on our sideboard doors, and they survived!
@ Dipali - Those sideboard doors may still be able to bear our weight- they were constructed so well.
And Happy Diwali.
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