Things I Write

OLLY OLLY OXEN FREE

Kick the Can, Hide and Seek, climbing trees and jumping through the sprinklers on a hot summer day. Hearing the cry, “Olly olly oxen free”! Seeing the long shadows of children on the sidewalk as they race to get home before the streetlights turn on. Many adults share these childhood experiences, or some very similar. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton describes a game called “chase and run” that was played in her neighborhood when she was a child (Clinton, 2001). For children of the Baby-Boomer generation and generations before, spending the majority of a weekend or summer day outside, with no particular plans or adult supervision was the standard.  In fact, for children and adults, “outside” was the preferred and expected place for children to spend their free time...

A RANT to my beloved y

The YMCA has always been a special place to me. Some of my earliest memories are of my time in Y programs. One memory, in particular, has remained most vivid. This memory that I still carry is of me as a Day Camper, seven years old sitting on the grass at the end of the day, with what seemed to be hundreds of other Y-campers (in actuality was probably no more than fifty). Hoarse, sweaty, and covered in dirt from a day of singing Y-cheers at the top of my lungs, playing games without caring who won, and exploring the world with my fellow Y-campers...