Funday Monday by Julia Purdom Dillavou

Good day all! And how are you all doing? Do I hear grumbling cause it is Monday? Do I blame you? No cause I am tired too :) Time for another stroll down memory lane...Step into my time machine as we go back over some of my goofier and pleasant memories of my youngling years..... I was a city girl to begin with born in Oak Park and moved to Winfield right outside of West Chicago when I was in 2nd grade. Which compared to where I had been may as well have been a deep country area. Went from city streets with side walks to out in the boonies....Back then it still had a lot of gravel roads and in my area no sidewalks..I had never seen so much land without houses on it (Now land is harder to find)..
    On my first day of 2nd grade I was shown around by a girl carrying a frog...Hmmm, I was a little freaked but intrigued at the same time...Even chicken little younglings think things like that are cool........And then there was the incident with the kids.....A couple of kids asked me if I had any kids..I'm like umm no I'm only eight years old man why would I have kids?? Then the other kids are like we do and I am like what?? You are kidding me right?? I knew I was in another universe but what??? One of the kids took pity on me and said we are talking about baby goats and I am like ohhhhhhh!!! Okay, so I wasn't the sharpest crayon in the box...
   I loved growing up there even though I spent much of my time alone being the shy gawky kid that I was....I have the experience of being from a large family of 7 kids (now you can understand my earlier "kid" confusion) and being an only at the same time. I was number 6 of 7. Another day we will go down that road...Today we are still in the youngling selective memory stage...I loved the outdoors and was terrified of it at the same time. Garter snakes were cool to me as long as they stayed in their little sunning piles instead of slithering around. Frogs and toads again okay as long as I didn't step on one or have to touch one....Well that's not hard you say...Hmmm, back then it was almost impossible to go anywhere in the yard or the driveway without almost stepping on toads, snakes, etc...Sadly, nowadays they are harder to find which is sad...Unless they are in your house (like salamanders) or on your front stoop...Ick...
   Anyhoo,  I was afraid of everything but here is a secret...I HATED being afraid...I think if some understanding adult or sibling (hint, hint ;p) had taken the time to show me I did not need to be afraid I might have enjoyed it more...I envied by older brother Dave who was 7 years older than me and who raised everything from chickens, to sheep, to goats, to rabbits. I'm not sure what he didn't raise. He was in 4H and into the country bit the whole nine yards....While I was wishing I was either back in the city or that I would adapt already!!! ;p  ;p 
   If I had to spend my time alone at least I had trees short enough to climb so I could sit and read, bushes to hide in and play house in, there was even a pond to fish for bullheads in. Of course we only used string, safety pins and hot dogs and that was only if my next door neighbor friend would go with to take the fish off the hook or a brave girl was visiting. Catch and release. The same neighbor even had a motor bike we got to play with occasionally that was cool....And I could even drive it...Critters I was afraid of but not that...Go figure :)  Well, this has been fun but the night is winding down and I need to be off.. Remember you are loved! And if you have a youngling or even a middling who is afraid maybe you could try to help them step outside their comfort zone. After all sometimes we just need a little help from our friends in order to fly...Please let me know what your thoughts are..Good night and sweet dreams....