Thinking Places and Peanut Butter Sandwiches.....

When I was young and needed to do some much needed thinkin' there was always this really great special place that I would go. It was tucked away from all the noise and distractions of the house but yet not to far that I wouldn't feel safe....It never seemed to matter how much thinkin' needed to be done it was the process of the thinkin' that was important. Sometimes I would slap together a peanut butter and banana sandwich or grab some of those incredible oatmeal cookies that mom had just made and make my way out to my thinkin' spot.

Hanging from an old apple tree was my thinkin' spot. It had been put together by the "bestest" swing maker I knew, my dad! My dad always knew what a kid liked when it came to tree houses, fishing and swing building. An old tire hung from a thick rope and beckoned me with promises of much needed thinkin' time. I would shed my shoes and socks, the whole time holding onto my snack with my teeth and then climb aboard. Dad had made the swing just perfect for someone my size to shove off with my feet from the ground and drift lazily back and forth while chomping mindlessly on my snack. The swaying of the swing and warm breeze always gave me much comfort while I pondered my thoughts. How I wish I had that old swing now....

As we grow older we find other thinkin' spots but none will ever have the magic that my old tire swing had, well for me anyway. As decisions about life become bigger and more difficult with age we often wish we had a place that would offer up the solutions we need with as much comfort as that old tire did for me when I was young. I think now, we turn more to friends and loved ones for that comfort we seek....but there's something to be said about an old tire swing and a peanut butter banana sandwich.