Remember the elementary school playground, if that is part of your story? The playground I grew up on was the most amazing place. It was far too massive for playground protocol today.
The playground at Sherwood School (where K-12 fit snuggly in a single building), showcased slightly ancient yet timeless equipment such as the wood and metal merry-go-round, where I overindulged in spinning on the first day of third grade and went home after losing my stuff in the doorway into the bathroom. (Blessed be the janitors.) Metal slides towered into the clouds like skyscrapers, and the swings were for swinging but mostly for girls to chatter about boys.
Behind the equipment was a mowed area nearly the size of a football field where baseball, soccer and football took place, long before we understood the long-lasting effects of concussions. You are welcome, next generations, for all the inadvertent experimenting we did with head injuries in order for you to know, today, that getting hit in the head is not a good thing.
To the east of the land of head injuries was, you might not believe me, a forest. A Sherwood Forest, yes, clever you. The forest became off limits late in my elementary days for obvious reasons, but before that, we built forts and did business. We coldly ripped bark from trees and made it our currency to purchase pretend food and pretend supplies. We told secrets in those woods and I’m sure drove the teachers on recess duty into utter exhaustion. We ran from bullies, made weapons with sticks, and how did none of us die in there during recess?
Today marks the last day in the week of Advent set aside for joy. We await the joy Christ will usher in when he comes again to gather us as one. In the meantime, would you share a story today about your first playground?
Lisa Lewton 
Mine sounds similar except was two playgrounds. One right near the school and one about a block away. The “north 40” which was backed by some sketchy tree rows that were also off limits but I somehow know there was a couch and couple forts in them. Both playgrounds had big metal slides and climbing structures that yielded many broken bones. I remember playing a game called kiss or kill. A version of tag when captured by a boy those were your options. Get beat up or be kissed. I mostly hid. Still recess was fun and both playgrounds were a block from my house so I much after hours fun as well. I remember my maternal grandma falling off the slide after agreeing to try it.
LikeLike