The Tire Swing

So many of us are on "auto pilot" when we drive in to work each morning. We take the same route, see the same buildings and for the most part never notice anything new.

I am no different.

However, on my way in to work last week I did notice something new.

It was very early in the morning and the sun was just starting to peak it's head over the horizon. To my right was a home with a huge tree in the front yard. Attached to that tree was a tire swing. Like a scene from a Lifetime movie starring Nancy McKeon or Meredith Baxter-Birney, the sun was shining through this swing giving it a warming glow and evoking memories of a childhood long past. And then I smiled like an idiot all the way to my office. Just seeing that swing had made me...happy.

Now, this tire swing wasn't some sanitized version you can get at your local Toys-R-Us. This was a genuine big 'ol used tractor tire hung to a branch with some rope. And not that wimpy yellow kind either! You know, the kind that has wax on it so you don't hurt your freshly manicured hands? Ahh no, this tire swing had the brown, frayed rope that would leave a burn on your hands that you would never forget!

I have to admit, I was envious of this family. I have always wanted a tire swing. I thought, "The children who live there are soo lucky!" And then I wondered, "Why do we put those up just for kids? Why can't I have one?"

So, I'm making this my solemn vow...where ever life takes me, I promise to always have a tire swing in my front yard. And not just for me to play on, either. But also to evoke childhood memories, give someone something new to notice, and to make people smile.

Of course, being as clutzy as I am, I'm certain to be injured on or by the swing. But that will just add to it's character.