When I was a kid, we lived a short walking distance away from a lake. It was not a glimmering blue body of water or a place where people wanted to frequent, for that matter. In fact, there was that slimy seaweed on the bottom that I really hated...I don't remember swim shoes being available then like they are now. There were large areas, however, with that gritty sand that you could dig your toes in to.
There was also a rather short wooden dock that stretched out about thirty-five or forty feet (I'm a terrible judge of distance, but I think it's a good guess). That dock provided endless entertainment. We would sprint across those slippery planks with an innertube encompassing our twelve-year old waists and jump as far as we could in to that murky water.
For my birthday one year, my parents bought me one of those inflatable boats with oars. I would pack a lunch and spend the entire day out on the water by myself or with a good friend, tackle boxes and fishing poles in tow. As far as I was concerned, I had everything I could ever want.
When we did stay "on land", we rarely went home for lunch. Summer campers would kindly provide us with Doritos and peanut butter sandwiches out of the goodness of their hearts. They were probably wondering if we did, in fact, have homes or if we were orphans given that we barely left that beach. We doused ourselves in baby oil and tanned on flipped-over aluminum boats (we never heard about the dangers of skin cancer at that point!).
The sun would begin to set and the sting of our sunburned shoulders would nag us that it was time to go home. The lively water charged with energy from boats passing by all day came to a calm. Oranges and purples streaked across the sky and gentle breezes cooled our bodies.
Most of the kids that hung out at the lake lived in what you might consider shacks. But no one ever dared to tell us that we were poor. We had everything we needed, but more importantly, everything we could ever want.
Night had fallen, and coincidingly, the knowledge erupted within that we were kings.
Wow, Kendra! You completely just took me there and also make me nostalgic for my own childhood!
ReplyDeleteAhh, to be young and carefree again with no worries. Wouldn't it be nice to go back just for a day....
ReplyDeleteThanks, now Paula wants the house on the lake that we found in Johns Creek, Georgia. As a matter of fact, I just logged back into the computer to price pedal boats. We decided on a 5 seater with a canopy. You can bring the kids, but I think the dock is only 30 feet.
ReplyDeleteMichele, you're not kidding. I admit, I had a chaos filled day yesterday, and it was cathartic for me to remember that carefree life. ;-)
ReplyDeleteMark, in my opinion, if you lived in a tent on the lake, it would be heaven on earth. There is nothing like it. Go for it!
Krystal, those were the days, weren't they?