We hit on the topic of being reared in the South. Of growing up in a more gentle era. His first ten years were in the 50s and mine were in the 50s and 60s. Back then, mamas could open the doors first thing in the morning, kids could run out and not come home until all hours, and parents never worried.
We ran, we played, we biked, we swam. We went into each other's homes as though we had our own bedrooms there. Our mothers were our mothers and everyone else's mother was our mother, too. You'd best not misbehave at so-and-so's house because not only were you disciplined there, you knew that your mama would know about it before you got home. You were disciplined all over again and God help you if you heard the words, "Just wait till your daddy gets home."
Then Dennis said, "You haven't lived until you've climbed a chinaberry tree."
"Why's that?" I asked.
"Because they have a lot of limbs and the limbs are sturdy and so it's easy to climb. And you can sit up in them and talk if you want to."
So, that got me to thinking. How would you finish this line: You haven't lived until you've ... ?
You haven't lived until you've swung on an old board-and-rope swing underneath a huge pecan tree and watched the blue sky peek through the green leaves.
ReplyDeleteYou haven't lived until you've made tar babies from the tar in the street cracks in the heat of summer.
ReplyDeleteYou haven't lived till you've waded into flood waters with alligators and water moccasins - and only later realized they were your swimming buddies.
You haven't lived till you've eaten water melon daddy bought off the back ot the truck and dropped into the deep freeze. Eaten it with salt!
You haven't lived till you've outrun a sheet of rain coming down the street. You haven't lived till you've had blackberry fights with siblings in the vacant lot behind the house.
I've added you to my blogroll so I can keep up. :) Phew! I'm tired already ...
ReplyDelete