Young at Heart

Remember Recess?

That glorious 30 minute break in the middle of the school day.

The chance to get outside, run around like a loon, play tag with your friends, wait for you turn at the teatherball court, watch whatever boy you liked that week play soccer while you whispered about him with your friends.... recess was the best!

I have such fond memories of recess. My middle school was conveniently located next to a Super KMart and the bad kids would sneak across the field, into the door and shoplift soda-flavored Lipsmackers during recess.
The good kinds (i.e. me) would often huddle up in the tire hut and belt Spice Girls songs and or have a competition of who could jump off the swing from the highest point.
Oh, those were the days.

The other week I discovered a little park right next to my office that has one of the coolest playgrounds attached to it that I've ever seen. Swings, tons of slides, a climbing wall, a giant choo choo train, monkey bars, seesaws, and best of all this giant swinging disc that perfectly fits my entire body.

So naturally, I began taking recess.

I get a one hour lunch break to do with what I please. In New York, I usually used it to go shopping in Soho, take a nap on a bench in the sun, or meet Josh at Sushi Samba for El Topo rolls. But here in London my office is not conveniently located to any good shopping, sushi, or sunny benches. So instead, I buy a popsicle at the mini food store, and walk myself over the playground for some good old fashioned fun!

The best thing is, I usually have the place to myself. I don't know if it's the location, or the time, or the fact that the weather is always crap and no one wants to take their kid to a park, but I typically have the run of the place.

This makes the playground even more awesome because:
a) I don't have to take turns
b) I don't get weird looks from parents

I've always planned that if it was crowded I could just prop myself on a swing and pretend like I was a nanny watching over one of the kids there. I'd shout an occasional "be careful" or "don't run sweetheart ,you'll fall" at no one in particular and no one would suspect a thing. But it has never come to that.

However, yesterday was uncommonly warm and sunny - so as I skipped to playground with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich packed wrapped in aluminum foil in my purse for lunch, I was not surprised to find a few kids running about, but most of them were real tiny tots being pushed in the baby swings.

Thankfully, my favorite giant, disc shaped swing was free, so I pulled it far back, jumped on, and stretched my body out over the sides of the disc so that my head rested on one edge, my espadrilles hung over the other, and my arms flopped over the sides.  Rocking back and forth, I felt complete joy to have sunshine on my face and a cool breeze blowing through my hair as I continued to power the swinging motion with my legs.

I'm not sure how long it took, but at some point in between swinging and thinking how wonderful this idea of mine was  - I totally passed out.

I woke up as my phone went off in my bag. I was 45 minutes into my lunch break!
As I started to slowly raise my head to get out of the disc I saw the world's cutest little boy standing a few feet in front of me, shoulder's slumped and a look of distress of his face.

I popped up immediately, saying "Oh cutie are you waiting for a turn?"
The little boy, shy as you can imagine, nodded with a small frown.

I have no idea how long he was waiting there, but whether it was 2 minutes or 20, I felt like the world's worst human as I quickly moved aside apologizing to this 3 year boy relentlessly.
His nanny, standing a few steps away began to approach as he tried to pull himself into the disc and I stretched my sincere apology to her as well explaining that I fell asleep, but she just laughed and said "I can't believe I never thought of doing that! I'm going in when he's done!"


Relieved, I smiled back and said, "we all need a little recess," and then went to eat my PB&J on a picnic bench.


If you're wondering when I am going to "grow up" the answer is: Never, if I can help it.
I made my mind up after seeing Peter Pan.

So I take recess.
And eat popsicles.
And pack myself peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch every once in a while, and I'll continue doing so for the rest of my life because like Sinatra says,

"Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you 

If you're young at heart. 

For it's hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind 

If you're young at heart. 

You can go to extremes with impossible schemes. 

You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams. 

And life gets more exciting with each passing day. 

And love is either in your heart, or on it's way. 

Don't you know that it's worth every treasure on earth 

To be young at heart. 

For as rich as you are, it's much better by far 

To be young at heart. 

And if you should survive to 105, 

Look at all you'll derive out of being alive! 

And here is the best part, you have a head start 

If you are among the very young at heart."