Over the Fence:
By Brandon Dyer, Executive Director of Community Renewal of Pottawatomie County
Playing Outside, Looking In
I
f you’ve read very many of my columns, you may know that my family loves to go camping and fly fishing. We go at least twice a year to a state park in Missouri, which has become a happy place for us. Our favorite campground there is right next to the river and offers a peaceful environment and a beautiful view at the base of a very large hill. There is no cell service there because of this deep ravine, and believe it or not, our kiddos love it. Without the constant distraction of our phones, they have come to love the unplugged life. More intentional conversations. More active listening to each other. More observation and enjoyment of nature. Whenever we get a week or two away from a camping trip, they just get giddy with excitement and anticipation, which makes our hearts proud as parents. We just returned from a trip to our happy place a few weeks ago and traveled there with some good friends of ours and their kids. The weather was great. The fishing was outstanding. We had lots of laughs and great conversations. But there was a moment one evening before dinner that I’ll never forget. As the adults were preparing dinner, the kiddos had made friends with some younger kids across the
Brandon Dyer
street. Our kids were taking turns teaching their kids how to longboard. They had the absolute cutest set of identical twin boys, maybe five years old. Our boys were teaching them to throw a football and ride a scooter. They picked it up rather quickly, and we adults had the best time just watching and laughing and admiring the moment. Pretty soon a couple of more kids showed up, this time with bikes and another ball. So, they were all taking turns throwing the new ball and riding the bikes. The older kids were playing with the younger ones and
CUSTOM GRANITE, MARBLE & ENGINEERED STONE SCOTT STEVE MARY FAX: 405-273-4141
SOONER STONEWORKS LLC
having a blast. Then a few older boys showed up and wanted to play football with our kids. So, the big kids were hurling the football back and forth across the growing group of little people in front of our campsite, which attracted a few more kids. At one point, we looked up and there were 19 children playing ball, riding bikes and longboards, throwing frisbees and racing each other. They were all laughing, cutting up and genuinely enjoying themselves. The adults were sitting at the picnic table watching in amazement as if we had just witnessed OneEyed Willy’s pirate ship set sail at the end of “The Goonies.” What a magical moment it was. It reminded me of how my neighborhood was when I was growing up. Kids always managed to find each other and play outside. Mostly staying out of trouble but not always. As we were taking it all in, we knew we were witnessing a special moment. We knew there was something genuinely good that was taking place. Human beings coming together to experience healthy social interaction without a worry in the world about what may divide them, experiencing goodwill and collaboration, forming basic levels of trust. These are the raw materials necessary for
building community. As I prepare to submit this column, we are less than a week from Election Day. Division and enmity can be felt in the very air we breathe. I am reminded that idealism is not always achievable. Discovering our differences is perhaps inevitable, but is it possible for us to envision a future in which we celebrate what unites us in such a purposeful and powerful way that our appetite for discord is suppressed in favor of honoring what is good and shared in each of us? Can we pursue our immutable points of commonality with the same fervor and passion with which we actively work against our enemies? Despite our differences, which at times seem overwhelming and immovable, can we learn to reweave the frayed fabric of our society? Children seem to know intuitively that which we have given up on long ago, as if it were a fairy tale that we simply outgrew. Human beings possess intrinsic value deserving of our recognition. No human shall be my enemy but instead is my sister, my brother. We all have something to offer, something to contribute. Remembering these things as truth will help us right the ship and gather in front of our eyes the world we all want, like children going outside to play.
olverine Storage
618 KICKAPOO SPUR • SHAWNEE, OK
405-214-7400
www.shawneeoutlook.com
13