Another meditation mantra in getting unstuck led me to a frolic in
our backyard in Grimsby. All three of us
(Jeanette, John and I) had a fascination with horses. Sometimes we were cowboys, sometimes we were
circus performers or we were simply horses.
We would canter, gallop or lope, never walk, as our imaginations led us
into our horse adventures. On this
particular day in late fall we were messing about in the backyard, leaping over
mud pools when Jeanette missed her footing and went slapped into a puddle. She started screaming as she was sinking
downwards, unable to get her feet unstuck.
I went to rescue her and got stuck.
Then John got stuck. By this time
we were yelling our fool heads off and both Mom and Dad stuck their heads out
the window to see if we were murdering each other.
Dad laughed, got dressed and hauled us out one by one, leaving the
boots in the mud. Once out we were
relieved until Dad made the comment that we could have sunk through to
China. Good heavens! We loved watching Tarzan movies and later on
there was the Tarzan TV series starring Ron Ely so of course we remembered
episodes with quicksand.
I remember my little sister getting her head stuck between the
bannisters in the house in Winnipeg. Dad
made the comment that he hoped he wouldn’t have to cut off her ears to get her
unstuck. I think he loved hearing us
scream because he would crack up laughing.
There was a lot of the kid in my dad even in old age and his sense of
humour was unrelenting. The family
legend that one of our great uncles was thrown overboard, to his death, all
because of a joke appears more and more likely as I reflect on the family funny
bone. But wouldn’t life be dull without
a joke or two along the road to old age?
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