Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Looking back

I grew up in a rural town in Southern Utah. We were about ten minutes away from the next town and that town wasn't really very big either in the grand scheme of things. I lived across the street from a sheep farm. Boy, did it smell in the spring.

We had an acre of land to roam around on. It seemed huge! Just down the street, the neighbors had an empty lot and all the neighborhood kids got together every day during the summer to build a bike track. It had spectacular holes and huge jumps and hills. We thought we had the most amazing thing ever built.

My parents never really did much landscaping. There was lawn around the house, but a lot of empty dirt to play in. We always had a large garden and several fruit trees. There's a spigot in the middle of the property to water the trees and garden with. We would turn on the water and let it soak into the dirt, creating a huge mud pit. Then, we'd play the Ten Commandments and we were the children of Israel making bricks out of mud and grass clippings. Those were good days.

I was just reminded of it by my own kids. They are out in the yard. We have a yard that's only 1/10th of an acre and half of it is desert landscaping (in other words, rocks.) I used to think that they were cheated somehow by not having a huge yard to run around in, but they are just as happy throwing rocks at a bush as I was clomping through the mud.

I didn't realize until I was a mother that kids are really content with what they have. It's a trait that adults must have outgrown at some point because it's harder to feel that contentment now. It makes me kind of sad and slightly nostalgic.

No questions for you today. Just the thought that maybe we should all enjoy what we are doing a little more.

6 comments:

Krista Van Dolzer said...

What a beautiful post, Kayeleen. And how tragic that we outgrow that. I love how my two-year-old can get such fulfillment out of the simplest things.

Talli Roland said...

So true! I grew up next to a big forest. We had hours of fun playing with trees, building forts, etc.

Happy Tuesday!

Shannon O'Donnell said...

I've been thinking about this exact thing lately. We are trying to sell our home and buy a larger one, and the kids couldn't care less. It got me thinking about my own childhood and how all kids seem to be like that. It's funny that we've been having the same thoughts - again! :-)

Anonymous said...

It's a trait that adults must have outgrown at some point because it's harder to feel that contentment now.

I agree! It didn't take much, as a child, for me to feel happy -- and it's something I sincerely want to get back. :)

Roland D. Yeomans said...

I remember playing space ship with the empty cardboard box that my Christmas gift had come in, ignoring the toy. Children are a wonder. We must fight to keep that childlike sense of wonder and surprise at life, right? Roland

Kayeleen Hamblin said...

Krista - I love how kids just love everything.

Talli - A forest sounds like so much fun! I wish I could have done that!

Shannon - We are always on the same wavelength. Do we share a brain? (We're actually trying to buy a house, too.)

Sandy - Let's get it back together. I declare next week, Small and Simple things week!

Roland - That reminds me of my kids. They play with boxes more than almost anything else. ;)