I believe one of the joys of warmer springtime weather is chatting with neighbors you haven’t seen since fall. Most adults stay cooped up at home when the weather is frigid and only venture out when necessary. My winter lunchtime dog walks usually amount to a quick trip around the block before we all freeze.
On a recent Saturday, however, the weather was glorious. My husband John and I decided to take a walk to Seminary Park with our pups, repeating the Dog Walk Ballet, of course.
I was delighted to see our neighbors, Grant and Bailey, and their three adorable children enjoying the playground. It’s always so fun to see little ones grow up, and for those of us who don’t see them as often, it seems to happen overnight. That’s why kids must deal with grown-ups saying “Wow, have you grown!” all … the … time.
I did say this to their youngest, an adorable, energetic little boy who I swear was just a baby yesterday. But then I noticed their oldest child, their daughter Noa, as she ran around the playground. Thanks to a sign Grant and Bailey had displayed in their yard, I knew she was in kindergarten.
“Hey, Noa,” I yelled, “How do you like kindergarten?” Noa was running around with her other brother. I figured she didn’t hear me, so I repeated the question. She sighed pensively.
“I just don’t feel like talking right now,” Noa said. All four of us adults chuckled. I couldn’t love that statement more.
Don’t you wish we could get away with uttering this unfiltered phrase as adults? Boy, there are so many situations where it would come in handy. On an airplane when all you want to do is sleep or read. In a grocery store when you’re in a hurry and have no time … and you run into one of the chattiest strangers ever.
Noa was simply being honest. She was enjoying a beautiful day with her siblings and parents, doing what kids should do – playing outside with abandon. Why would she want to stop and talk to some adult she doesn’t even know? If I had simply thought a bit before opening my mouth, I wouldn’t have interrupted her.
I’m not saying children or adults should have the freedom to say mean things. I recall an incident when I was three when I was having lunch at Tony’s, an Italian restaurant, with my sister Vicky and my mother. A rather large man walked in, dressed mostly in white, and I began loudly asking Vicky and Mom, “Why’s that man so fat?” The more they tried to keep me quiet, the louder I became. I couldn’t apologize to them both years ago for this incident.
No … I’m saying it would be glorious to have this freedom as a grown up. To say how we really feel to strangers when we don’t want to be interrupted – nicely – and not worry about every phrase, inflection, word, etc. And to know the person hearing us will accept our truth and not let it bother them.
I was inspired by Noa last Saturday and look forward to more of her wisdom in the warmer months ahead.
Amy Shankland is an empty-nester, writer, and fundraising professional living in Noblesville with her husband John and two dogs. You can reach her via email at amys@greenavenue.info.