January 29, 2017 DON'T BLINK

Many of my running friends are lucky. They are lifers. They get to run by the houses and neighborhoods that they grew up in!  Isn't that cool.  So, on many a run, I have been treated to a grand tour of the old neighborhood. It's really great fun as I've learned all kinds of historical information and long forgotten gossip. Reminiscing is in many ways comforting --a time to reflect on where you came from--literally--and it can also be hysterically funny.  I love hearing the stories of yesteryear--whether sledding down the middle of the road or playing badminton in the giant  yard--that is actually the size of a postage stamp--these are the simple things that shape our lives. They are the things we miss the most when we think back to the good old days.  As kids we just live, we don't understand how much we are shaped by our neighborhood and we certainly  can't understand how much we will miss it when we grow up.  SO, it's great to run by, stop for a few minutes- check on the old homestead and share an old memory. By the way, NOT sure we really like the color you painted the front door. Ha! Don't blink, it really does go by so much faster than you think. Believe it or not, Ray Bradbury wrote a wonderful book reflecting back on his childhood in 1957 called Dandelion Wine. I know what you're  thinking--Ray Bradbury--master of science fiction, fantasy, dystopia--how could that be?? Well it is. 

Dandelion Wine is my all time favorite Bradbury book. It's a collection of short stories--semi autobiographical--of twelve  year old Douglas Spaulding's life while growing up in the fictional town of Green Town, Illinois, in 1928. The stories are loosely weaved together as Douglas spends time with neighbors, friends and family and recounts he many treasured adventures with them.  I LOVED this book, especially, the story of the Time Machine-- who is actually a colonel who witnessed the battle of Sumner during the Civil War, the hysterically funny story of the Green Machine and the heart wrenching story of The Swan. The writing is absolutely top notch--almost poetic. And the  descriptive writing is perfect of the town and all it's inhabitants.  His neighbors, family, and friends are richly portrayed--I really wanted to go to Green Town to meet them all. It is evident that Bradbury loved his childhood and his  reflections on the simple joys of yesterday will stay with you forever. This classic novel is only about 280 pages --or a 5 mile run--that will leave you feeling nostalgic too.