Simplicity

With the exception of this blog, most of the writing I do is for children and young adults. So I find myself constantly reliving my childhood when I search for the appropriate way to phrase things.

It recently occurred to me that kids used to be ingrained with the ability - and need - to simplify things.

As kids, our meeting places were the big rock, the big tree, the big hill, the wooden bridge, and the underground fort. We all knew exactly where these places were.

There was no need to say, the enormous mound of dirt next to the new houses being built on the edge of Webster's Farm. The mound was the Big Hill, plain and simple.

We got together after breakfast, before lunch, and after dinner. Not 8:00, 11:45, or 7;15. There was no panic if someone didn't show at the same time as everyone else. The rest of the group simply drifted toward the home of the missing person, finding new opportunities for excitement along the way.

Yet we were always anxious to grow up - failing to fully appreciate what a gift simplicity is.