Childhood Favorites

Remember when you were a kid and how simple life was?  Simple things brought you pleasure.  I've compiled a small list of simple childhood pleasures that I enjoyed.

1)  Camping out -- didn't have to be in a tent.  Just grab a blanket and a pillow and some snacks and head outside.  First 'campout' of the summer was always pretty close to the house but we expanded our horizons as summer wore on. 

2)  Laying on your back and watching the clouds drift by.  Hours could be spent this way. I am prone to motion sickness and if I laid there to long I would be dizzy when I sat up.

3) Jump rope -- this is fun - nothing else to say about it - it's just fun

4) Coloring -- I still love to color. If you don't have a color book then just make a 'scribble' picture.  You know -- take a crayon and draw all over the page then color in the design.  I do this a lot.  Something soothing about coloring.

5) Tea Parties -- these are so much fun -- I enjoy them more now than when I was a kid.  I had three brothers - I don't think we had tea parties.  That's a shame - they missed out on a lot. 

6) Reading -- I loved reading as a kid.  I still love reading.  I get lost in the book I am reading.  I live the book I am reading.  I sit there all chilled as I read about the snow storm that has the early settlers stranded in their cabin for weeks.  When I finally pull myself out of the book I am surprised to see that it's 80 degrees and sunny.

7) Hide and Seek -- this was so much fun -- the great outdoor - so many places to hide.  Trying to sneak back to 'home'. 

8) Secrets -- Not bad secrets - just secrets -- whispering in someones ear -- "I know what we're having for dessert but you can't tell"  Just sharing a secret with someone creates a bond.   

9) Walking in the Woods --- I loved, at our house, to go down to the creek and then follow it to the other end -- this was probably 3 -4 blocks in length but you went down a hill and then were in a valley like depression that meandered around corners.  Up each side of the hill was 'civilization' - even the main highway leading through town - but in the creek you were away from all that trees on both sides blocking out everything.  It could be dangerous jumping over the creek and you could only cross over at certain points. 

10) Fishing for minnows -- not sure why we wanted them but at my Granny's we would go down to the creek (it was a little bit farther than at my house as Granny lived in the country) and wade in the creek and try to catch the minnows. 

11) Fishing -- I had a cane pole I used at the pond. We would dig up some worms and head down to the pond.  I dont' remember that we ever fried up anything we caught there but I spent a lot of time at the pond with my dad and brothers.  Later on it was hand-fishing -- what a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Take some time to enjoy some of these childhood favorites now that you are an adult.  Share them with your child or grandchild or even on your own.  Get away from the 'rat race' of everyday life and enjoy something simple.  You won't regret it.