Tire Swing on China Ball Tree

Growing up in the country offered many opportunities for adventure. We were often locked out of the house and told to “go play”. The grown-ups would unwind and discuss adult matters without us hearing them. This also ensured we would burn off energy so we’d sleep peacefully at night.

There was this gigantic oak tree in the front yard. I was an excellent climber as a child; I would scale trees as far as I could get without feeling afraid. This was no more than six or eight feet off the ground, but for someone like me — someone who was afraid of almost everything — it was like climbing Mount Everest.

Our formal playgrounds were located at school and at one of the local churches where we sometimes went for childcare. So, when we were sent outside or chose to go outside, swinging on our tire swing was one of my favorite pastimes. Standing and rocking from side to side was for pansies. The most exciting feat was to have someone spin the tire around until the rope was wound up, tightened to the point where you could not twist it any further. Then, upon release, the pent-up energy would cause you to spin around so quickly and with so much force that you’d become disoriented and dizzy with exhilaration. I would scream as loud as I could until it stopped. Then I would beg to be spun around again, and again.

Sometimes, when we played on our tire swing or climbed trees, a territorial squirrel might scurry around in search of acorns, likely a little disturbed by all the commotion we caused while playing. I did not view them as vicious animals until the day one of my cousins was swinging across a wide ditch as we often did. We‘d all taken turns swinging across numerous times. When my cousin attempted to grip on to the vine once again, an impatient fluffy-tailed squirrel pounced onto his shirt and would not let go. My cousin, who was about nine or ten at the time, was always adventurous, but on this day, he began to scream and dance around for help! We all had to intervene, and eventually, the squirrel released him and returned to its tree. We all laughed about it and teased him for many days thereafter.

Our excursions throughout our close-knit neighborhood and community gave us much joy and fulfillment. There were not too many dull moments. Excitement was always somewhere to be discovered or in some instances, it would find you.