Discovering Self-Discovery

Fire ants, lizards, and roly-polies; that is childhood. The playground with hazardous, hard mulch. Monkey bars to hang upside down on and monkey bar shorts to go under you skirt. That one girl who was super good at French braided, but always braided so tight you thought you might go bald. The field, usually claimed by boys and those few athletic – slightly pick-me – girls for flag football or soccer. The track you’d walk around as you watched them play. Gossiping with your friends about the latest drama.

The rubber and ant covered lunch tables that were luckily situated in the shade. The swing set your classmate fell off and broke their arm. The teachers strolling about making sure no one does anything dumb, while doing some of their own gossiping. The nurse’s office which always had some type of new candy to try. The basketball court, one corner for four-square, one for horseshoe, one for hopscotch, and one for a 2v2 basketball game. The fire ants you’d try to kill, the lizards you’d try to catch, and the delicate roly-polies you’d hold softly in your hand until they relinquished and uncurled to tickle your hand with their tiny legs.