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Slippin' and Sliding
Throw Yourself Into Summer Fun By John Nixon
I rushed outside and began to liberally apply the amber gel of joy to the slide. Nothing seemed to change, but time would tell if this great idea would work.
Now my oldest has learned a thing or twoliving with his Dad, so the wry smile on his face told me that the twinkle I had in my eye was now in his. He told me to get back, this one he wanted to try running on his own. (Lower back spared!)
He backed up aboutfour feet. I held up my hand. "Stop, you need to back up more." He backed up. Nope. I told him more. Nope, still more. So he backed up all the way to the house. Now the stage was set. Five yards of glorious running and then the launch pad. A hush fell over the crowd (or was that just the voices in my head waiting in quiet expectation, just as I was?).
"GO!" My firstborn. Incredible courage. Limitless potential. Unending faith in his father (two out of three isn't bad)! He runs. He leaps head first. He slides and slides, speed not decreasing, he slides, the end of the slide approaches. The inflated end that has been used by the same insurance companies in simulated SUV crash tests. The inflated end to the Slip-and-Slide that will cradle my son in its soft embrace. Yet, somewhere in my brain, the realization occurs. My son is traveling faster than the speed of sound. The sonic boom reverberates and suddenly he is airborne. The soap on his chest easing him over the inflated end of the runway and he flies as free as a bird to land in the wet grass, tumbling, laughing with joy.
And then an eruption from my other two sons of, "I wanna do it, I wanna do it!" And, yes, each brother wants to "fly" farther than the other brother.
Reflecting back on this summer fun, I realize that it's not a trip to the North Pole, climbing mountains or skydiving (each of which I plan to do with my boys) that has brought us great joy, but summer, soap and a Slip-and-Slide.
Next summer, bacon grease! (I am full of great ideas!)
