Lynda Loveland: Trading places

Oh, to be a kid again and find total joy, for hours, in a sand crab.

My six-year-old son dug one up at the beach last weekend and he played with that thing for hours! Sure he would take a quick dip in the ocean, fighting waves as Aquaman, but his time was mostly focused on Sam, the sand crab. He’s very proud of it, as you can see from the picture.

I got to thinking: When was the last time I experienced such great joy over something so simple?

First of all, I normally don’t have the time. And then, what would I do? I love reading. I could do that. But I wouldn’t really call that fun. It’s more like a pastime.

I’m looking for the adult equivalent of what kids do. You know, turning over stones looking for worms, rolling down a grassy hill and jumping in a pile of leaves. Maybe with the hot weather we’re having, I can get everyone on our street to turn on their sprinklers and we can play follow the leader, sprinkler hopping, from house to house! And don’t forget about those big blow up water things too!

I really need to stop multi-tasking and carve out some time for nothing but pure fun! Maybe that’s what we all need. Where’s an ice cream truck when you need it!