“If growing up means it would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree, I’ll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!” ― J.M. Barrie
When you pass a group of young people playing football and the ball rolls towards you, do you ignore it, moan about the state of the youth of today or pretend you were Tommy Gemmell or Steve Chalmers slotting one by Inter Milan in the 1967 European Cup Final? There is something sadly satisfying when a gangly youth yells back “thanks Mrs, nice right foot by the way”. The skills of childhood coming back!
How many of us can still sit on a swing and work it up so high that the chains shake? Hands up if you have tried to slide down the chute and not shouted ‘weeeeeee’ as you reach the bottom! Or if you are using a skipping rope at the Gym, not recited off the rhymes you use to say when you played in the street.
Life is so serious for many of us today; perhaps as J.M. Barrie said if growing up means we should not climb trees, I prefer to grow up disgracefully and slot that right footer passed the Inter Milan goalkeeper and buy Sherbet Dip. Time to stamp the foot and make sure there is a part of us that always stays young and never, never, ever, ever, ever grows up!
