They can teleport, they say. And every imaginary moment is voiced, narrated, more than actually played out. Now this is when I walk in and I get so mad that my eyes are flaming…
no, no…first you actually have to tell me which way it’s coming.
okay, that way. Start there.
I have no idea which way you’re pointing, stop spinning in circles!
So we teleport while spinning!
It changes as it changes, saving face, winning at making up the rules. They’ll do this the rest of their lives, they just don’t know that they are practicing.
They call each other on doing it “wrong” and they decide for the others their moments of demise.
The smallest ones are quiet followers. They sit on the front steps of the big old blue house across the street and watch the bigger kids still deciding how things work. This is a dead end street, so that’s good for no traffic and play. Only bad for the car or bike who doesn’t notice the sign, doesn’t follow the rules and tries to get through. They have to start over. Back up. Turn around. Try a new way.
While the kids make up the rules as they go, I see it’s all they ever end up doing and it doesn’t pass me by that this is what we all do, we adults too. More time spent deciding, thinking, arguing…less time living it out.
No matter what they start to try, another of them rearranges the plans right from the start. How about this, they say…and someone always has a better idea, or sees the new plan as a potential failure, full of holes.
Now I’m the Power One!
No, you’re not…we can’t do that yet, we’re not ready!
So the one who wants to just.play.already starts to lag behind, head down, frown on the face. Bored. Lonely. Frustrated.
Another turns around, after saying over and over not to start and slashes a fake sword across him. He falls to the ground. Game over. Then he comes to me and cries Unfair, and I can’t disagree, can only hold him. Use your voice, I say. Stand up for you, even if you’re not going to win.
Next another falls to the floor after a surprise invasion and attack. But it’s okay, says their leader, because if Jace touches you, you come back to life! And he may be small, but he’s mighty, and he understands. So he goes around pummeling bodies that are strewn about the floor. To touch them with wild abandon, freeing them up and they stand again.
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This is the 155th installment of Just Write, an exercise in free writing your ordinary and extraordinary moments. {New here? Please see the details.} I would love to read your freely written words so join me and link up below. You can add the url of your post at any time. Just be sure it’s a link to your Just Write post, not to your main page. (Then link back to this post in your Just Write post so people know where to go if they’d like to join in.) (Any links not following those two guidelines will be deleted.)
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{ 3 comments }
I used to be the kid who just went with the flow and let other people make the rules. It never bothered me. I’ve been told constantly that I’m doing it “wrong” when I play with my cousins younger than me. Sometimes I humor myself and go along with their ideas; sometimes I create something completely new ideas just to get out of playing with them since their ideas are so restrictive it’s not fun anymore.
this was my favorite part, and i’m going to ponder it for a bit….because that’s good stuff.
While the kids make up the rules as they go, I see it’s all they ever end up doing and it doesn’t pass me by that this is what we all do, we adults too. More time spent deciding, thinking, arguing…less time living it out.
Hi Heather, I recently found your blog and the Just Write series. Seems, because we are almost a day ahead of you, I posted my link on your linky for last week. My apologies, in future will do the post then link later in the evening.
Interesting and thought provoking post
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