Day 814
Last Night was the gathering for Night to Unite in so many neighborhoods. As I sat watching the next two generations of Christian Hill, I had two very different reactions.
First, I remembered those who are no longer here. As a young child, the parents and grandparents of our “neighborhood gang” watched over us… but in a different way. Always feeling safe and knowing help was behind any doorway in the block, we were allowed to run free, explore and create. We had bikes, roller skates (with keys to tighten them) and a ball or two. Otherwise, we were left to our own devices to entertain ourselves…and we did!
Fast forward to last night where I was the oldest generation at the gathering. The young ones were biking, scootering, running in to grab handfuls of treats and screaming with delight at having the street as their playground. It was a beautiful sight to behold! Smiling as I watched young parents with their children, I found myself comparing kids of today with those of yesterday.
The energy appeared to be the same. Their creative minds were evident in the games they played and the joy could be seen on every young face. So, what was the difference? It hit me hard.
Every parent and grandparent was watchful. Words of caution were in the air, eyes were on the children as we conversed and if a child fell, at least five adults jumped into action. When and why did we become so protective?
Perhaps the media is partially to blame for the helicopter adults circling throughout the evening, but there must be a deeper cause. Maybe it doesn’t matter…it is just the new world we live in.
Being right smack dab in the middle, between my childhood memories and the joy of watching my own grandson was almost surreal. In the long run, it was the commonalities that stuck out the most. Everyone there had a happy glow… from the grandparents to the little guy celebrating his 3rd birthday!
Returning home, we were greeted by our own “Golden Night to Unite”! Memories, joy, a neighborhood that remains connected and a welcoming committee of “Christian Hill Dogs” made it a special night indeed!
