Puddles and Dams

Did you ever see a kid near a puddle of water? It’s like metal and a magnet. Instant draw. I saw a parent and his two sons walking through a parking lot after a serious rain. The one child, about 4 years old, was eyeing up a puddle like a chocolate lover looks at a Hershey Bar. I could see the look of delight and a little bit of mischief in his eyes. He was waiting to either wade into that puddle or jump right in with both feet. I’m not sure what exactly dissuaded him, but he never did more than gingerly stick the toe of one shoe into the puddle. With that being done, he hopped in the family’s minivan, and off they went. The near-adventure was over.

The East Chestnut Street Kids were fond of puddles and of the aftermath of rainstorms. We would go outside to where the curb and street met. Water would be coursing down the street and we would start the building process…we were engineers making dams out of sticks, stones, twigs, mud and whatever else was available. It was fun! That fun was short-lived, but we enjoyed it while we could.

It amazes me that we found joy in such simple ways. We were creative and always looking for opportunities to occupy ourselves and have fun doing so. It didn’t take much. And it certainly didn’t take money. We knew how to create fun!