Wednesday, January 14, 2009

when i was a boy..

Driving home tonight, after a fun movie night with the girls, (we watched Definately, maybe), a song came on my ipod. It was one that I had obviously heard before, but something made since about it tonight.

The song is called "When I was a boy..." by Dar Williams (hints the name of the blog). The songs talks about her adventures as a child. One day, Peter Pan came to visit her and she told him she was a boy. They saved each others lives out on the pirate deck and lived a whole life in one night. She knew the tricks that all boys new.

When I was a child, I had a neighbor named Sam. He was a boy and everyday he wore wranglers and cowboy boots. Sam was a few years younger than me so he was a little bit shorter. Every day we would go play outside on the trampoline.
Sam was too short to get on the trampoline by himself. So I would get down on my hands and knees, and he would stand on my back to get on the trampoline.

Did I mention that Sam wore cowboy boots everyday? It was painful. Im not gonna lie. But he was my friend, and how else were we going to both be able to play on the trampoline.

Listening to Dar Williams made me think about Sam. It made me think about my childhood. Life was easier then. In fact, the only thing I could probably tell you I didnt like when I was a child was E.T. and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Today I have grown out of my fear of E.T. and love peanut butter, but I could list a multitude of people and things that I dont like.

Things are of lesser importance. I hate mandarin oranges and shake and bake chicken. I detest olives and bill paying. All these things I can either get over or deal with because I have too.

But what about the people. People who have stepped on my back to climb higher. People who have stepped on my back for no purpose what so ever. People I have allowed to step on my back and them only turning back around and giving up.

Sam never meant to hurt me and in fact if I told him that it did hurt we probably would have found another game to play or perhaps a step ladder.

When did the world change? Somewhere between learning to tie my shoes, tying hairbows, and tying up loose ends, I am no longer a child.

Peter Pan doesn't really exist. E.T. is merely a movie. Sam grew out of his cowboy boots. I still hate jelly.

and it still hurts when people step on your back.

"But you were just like me, and I was just like you"

and we can save each others life out on the pirate deck.

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