Kids Do Things

I live on a small island that lies between the Adriatic Sea and the Venetian Lagoon. There's a sandy beach on one side, peely-painted wooden fishing boats on the other and a strip of land with gum drop-colored houses in between. 

Pedaling home for a popsicle the other day I saw my neighbors from the sandy side. Every year Gabriele comes to live with his grandparents for the summer and every day at 3:30pm they show up for another afternoon on the beach. Watching them from my hammock makes the thought of writing a novel for next year's 100 Best Summer Reads seem pretty easy. The only evidence of time is the family's fading umbrella and growing grandson. Everything else repeats itself from year to year with the simple simplicity of a little boy and his nonni  (grandparents) on a small Italian island.

Having said our summer goodbyes the day before, I was surprised to find Gabri and his grandpa in the tiny piazza (square) both dripping like my cherry red popsicle; one dripped beads of sweat and the other salty water from the lagoon. I asked the little one how the water was and told him that the day before I'd swum in the middle of the lagoon from my friend's (peely-painted wooden) boat. Then I asked the big one why he was still sweating. He enthusiastically recounted his childhood dips and dives seemingly longing to repeat them, but his exuberance ended when he told me he couldn't do it anymore because people would talk.

I said, "Those who talk should say, 'look at that great grandpa swimming in the lagoon with his grandson'. And if they don't, it's only because they, too, have been stopped by the imaginary alarm clock that some boring person set  to announce the time that all good things must come to an end." 

Then Gabri said, "Ten's right." (He might not have actually said that, but I like to think all kids agree with me.)

Is there an age to stop doing what you once loved just because the alarm has rung? I thought a witty comeback (to myself) might be, "Yes, or we'd all still be sucking our thumbs." However, a quick Google search has reminded me that thumb-sucking can lead to dental problems, so there's a reason to stop. But is it necessary to walk down the normal old sidewalk going from point a to point b when walking on curbs, low ledges and little walls is so much more fun? Is there a reason we have to stop making snow angels and ordering Pizza Patatosa (cheese pizza with french fries on top)?

I think it's time to hit 'snooze' on that imaginary clock. There's no reason to wake up from real dreams that aren't harmful to your health. We have to let the years repeat themselves with simple simplicity, accepting the things that fade naturally and refusing to let 'the people who talk' extinguish the colors still glowing and growing.