Not knowing what playgrounds are like today, I can only think back to my youth. How much I enjoyed the thrill of being high on a see saw and the joy of creating things with sand in a sandbox. Especially when the sand was wet.
Today, I can’t help but think that a see saw is a great metaphor for a lot of what we are experiencing in life today. Where most discussions lead to the seats on a see saw at two opposite extremes. Balance is tenuous on a see saw much like the world we now experience. With very little common ground to center and stabilize us.
The sandbox is often overlooked for there are no moving parts. Certainly no electronics. And never a promise to thrill you. Instead it is a quiet place for discovery. Of what our imagination can build. With the ability to change forms when starting over. There are no extremes in a sandbox. Although they contain a messiness about them that is tolerated.
While we yearn for beautiful sunrises and deep blue skies, we must look for more sandboxes around us. Full of messiness, discovery, and the ability to change forms as we grow and evolve.
Approaching see saws with caution, seeing them for what they are. One dimensional and never changing. Making it difficult to travel with them through life. Leaving us bouncing up and down to experience a short lived thrill at the expense of going nowhere.