Spontaneity

Makeovers

Jeanna GLeave a comment

In middle school, the early 90s for me, we had pretty mid-out hairstyles. The 80s were far-out, so we were in a weird limbo, working our way back to some form of reserved. Aqua Net was essential. I had “The Wave,” a hard wall of bangs high above my forehead. At a slumber party, I was dared to shave the side of my head. I covered it with a section of hair so my mom wouldn’t know. (I have an incredible amount of hair). When she picked me up, she caressed my head while talking to my friend’s mom. It’s like she knew. Wide-eyed, I slinked away like any tween would from her mother’s touch. My friends all covered their open mouths and held their breath.

My daughter told me today that her best friend decided to chop her own hair off on a whim. She covered her mouth and giggled. I looked out the window and smiled while cheering her friend on in my head. New style, new life! At that age, it was so easy to change our image and become someone new. Are we ever too old for a makeover?

Old Town Home

Jeanna G1 Comment

If my memory serves me correctly, there used to be a Country Time Lemonade commercial that had Benny Goodman‘s “How Am I To Know” playing in the background while a boy rode his bike down a dusty country road in summer. Every time I hear that song, I picture myself as a child, riding my bike around my old town home.

Sun peeks through the curtains, time to get up and go.

Grab my pack and jump on my 10-speed.

Cruise down past the hardware store and the spinning pole of the barber shop to the town center, where my friend is waiting for a match on the lone tennis court.

Lose track of the score and decide we both earned a cone from the local ice cream shop.

Smile at the Maytag Man, who is sitting alone in front of his shop with nothing to do, of course.

Wave goodbye to my friend, and roll over to the park.

Down goes the kickstand while I pick a handful of blackberries along the entrance.

On to the tee ball field where the Blue Jays and the Pirates are in the bottom of the 3rd.

Bleachers are full, so I ride over to the playground.

A few flips over the parallel bars and then I take my chances on the steep metal slide.

Seat scorcher!

Once is enough.

What’s next?

Pedal down to the toy store to see what’s new in stock and add to my wish list for Santa.

Across to the aquarium shop to decide how I’ll spend my allowance.

Only a dollar left in my pocket.

Penny candy it is!

Spin back up to the center, up past the historic homes, tobacco barns, and churches, up past the video and package stores, to the one convenience store.

I count out 10 sticks of Fortune Bubble, 5 Pixy Stix, 5 Bit O’ Honey, 5 root beer barrels, a pack of Pop Rocks and a box of Nerds. I’ve still got a quarter to spare!

Take my bounty over to the pond to share with who’s fishing.

They say they threw them all back, so they had nothing to show. Same as last time!

Time to check on my 4-H calf. We take a stroll through the barn together.

Take the long way home, past the cemetery, library, and print shop.

Friends have a lemonade stand set up on the front walk. There goes my last coin.

Whiz past the market where I see mom pushing her cart to the suburban. One hour ‘til dinner.

Rush over to the neighbor’s to check on our tree forts.

Go karts are out, time for a race!

There’s the dinner bell,

right on time.

Wash up!

Bless the food.

What’d you do today, Li’l Bean?

Oh…not much.

Spontaneous Fun

Jeanna GLeave a comment

I had a dream the other night. I was in an airport and I was hanging out with Mario Lopez. He was his current age, but it was also before he became famous, because dreams are contradictory like that. We were having a conversation about what we want in life. His was to be an actor. I told him that if that was what made him happy, then he should stick with it. I think he took my message to heart. Then he asked me, “What brings you joy?” My answer was very clear as I replied, “Spontaneous Fun.” Then I realized I’d lost my phone somewhere in the airport and it was time to board my flight. My time with Mario was cut short.

I woke up thinking, “Maybe I should have had a deeper answer?” But why? Do I feel guilty for wanting fun to be a priority in my life? Should I have a more serious goal? Mario just wanted to know what brings me joy, right? And what is joy? Joy is the happiest version of happy. The biggest smile. The loudest laugh. Side stitches and weak knees. Joy is love because nothing else matters in the moment.

And so why does fun bring joy? Correction, why does spontaneous fun bring joy? I guess my life has become so planned, so routine, that fun has to be worked into the schedule. Is planned fun less joyful than spontaneous fun? My friends and I plan several gatherings throughout the year, and we have fun (maybe too much fun?), but it’s still a lot of work to get to the point of fun. So maybe that’s the key, I want more fun that requires no work, no asking the neighbor to watch the dogs, no asking my parents to watch my daughter, no packing, no saving, no lists.

When I was little, fun was never planned. Friends would show up at my door, and vice versa, and out we’d run to do whatever we felt like doing; bike ride, swim in the pond, a game of HORSE in the driveway, kickball in the field, walk to the town square for a sweet treat. Spontaneous fun seems to require a sense of freedom. Are adults less free to have fun?

Such conundrums I’m left with: I need to work for free time so that I can plan some spontaneity; I need to say No more often so that I can say Yes more often; I need to be irresponsible in order to have more guilt-free fun. Everyone has their own idea of fun. Mine involves four A’s: action, adventure, amusement, and an awakening of the senses. Now how can I create more spontaneous fun? Mario, help me name my adventure!