Your Space in my Blog : 15th June of 2009

Dear Paulo,

So the score is Brazil 4-3 Egypt @ Football (Soccer) Confederations Cup! Congrats for brazillains and hard luck to my team even if I’m not that fan of soccer :p

This was just a ‘Time-Out’ from thinking and reading. Back to the normal state

Respectfuly,
Hicham

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Post Below Taken from my Blog “A Dare a Day” (adareaday.blogspot.com)

“Maybe the Fountain of Youth isn’t a fountain at all. Maybe it’s a way of looking at things; a way of thinking.” – Charles Whitley in the Twilight Zone episode “Kick the Can”

Hi and welcome back to A Dare a Day! The quote above was taken from one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes called “Kick the Can”. If you have never seen this episode, it takes place at nursing facility called Sunnyvale Rest Home. One of the residents, Charles Whitley, believes he has found the answer to being young. He believes that if he acts young, he will be young. His childhood friend Ben Conroy, who is also a resident at the home, is not convinced, however, and tries to convince Charles that his best days are behind him and that all that is left is to wait to die.

Unconvinced, Charles responds by saying, “Did you ever stop to think of it? All kids play those games and the minute they stop, they begin to grow old. It’s almost as if playing kick the can keeps them young.”

Later, Charles approaches the residents as they sit almost lifeless on the front porch of the home and he asks, “What is the matter with you people? Aren’t you the ones who used to skip rope and run through sprinklers?” At this point, and much to their horror, he runs out to the lawn and starts playing in the sprinkler. He is immediately escorted inside by the nurse and told he will need to be under observation.

That evening, Charles assembles his fellow retirees in one last attempt to convince them to play kick the can with him. Finally, all the residents go with him except for his friend Ben, who runs to get the doctor. When the doctor and Ben go outside, the elderly residents have transformed into children and they are playing kick the can. Ben stops one of the boys whom he recognizes as his friend Charles and begs him to take him with him but it is too late and the children run away.

This weekend, I had my own “Kick the Can” experience. My girlfriend and I headed to Wimberley, Texas to shop and then hit a local swimming hole (known as the Blue Hole) to cool off. Texas in June can get really hot but God has given us some really cool rivers to escape from the heat, and the river that feeds into this swimming hole is no exception. The water was cold but that didn’t stop anyone from having fun, particularly all the children there. Many of the adults waded or sat on the banks while the children splashed and swam like it was a heated swimming pool. I sat on the bank for a good fifteen minutes contemplating the cold water when a little boy who I had seen splashing around came and sat next to me. He looked at me and said very seriously, “Can I ask you a question?” I said, “Sure you can.” He asked, “Why are you sitting here?” I looked over at him and smiled recognizing how much wisdom was behind his simple and sincere question. I responded, “That’s a good question.” He continued, “All the fun is out there!” and pointed to the center of the river. I immediately stood up and said, “You know what? You are absolutely right!” So off I went into the middle of the river feeling the cold but not caring anymore. I was having fun again.

As if to give me a few moments to find my inner oppressed child, he swam away but came back about ten minutes later armed with a small twig. “OK,” he said, “now that you’re out here, I need to tell you, there are snakes over there and alligators over on that side. But, I brought my knife,” he assured me, holding up the frail and crooked twig he had brought, “so, if they try and get us, we have this.”

So there I was, hunting alligators and snakes with my new friend (see picture above), a four-year old boy who had introduced himself as Eli. After we had our fill of alligator and snake hunting, Eli ran off to open a swimming club on one end of the bank with several other children of varying ages. I tried to remember all of the things I believed were possible at four years of age and wondered where that belief had gone. Surely, it still lives within me somewhere. I watched as Eli showed others around his swim club, which had quickly been transformed into a resort. I heard him tell one boy who was around seven years old, “And over here are the water slides.” The boy looked around puzzled and replied, “I don’t see any water slides.” Eli was adamant, “They are right here. Look!” as he pointed to a rock with a slight slope. The older boy shook his head and walked away. I thought about how sad it was that such a young boy could no longer see the slides and wondered how old I was when I stopped seeing them. How old was I when I had to start seeing evidence of something before I believed it? How old was I when I allowed myself to believe I was too old for magic?

For today, I dare you to think about one thing you loved to do as a child and allow yourself to do it. Did you love to play in the sprinkler? Skateboard? Ride your bike? Whatever it is, do it and do it with all the enthusiasm of a child. That child is still in there. Let him/her play, and don’t just do it once. Promise yourself that you will keep that spirit alive because that is the essence of what is you.

In the cold waters of the Blue Hole, I was, in a sense, baptized again. My young and wise friend had helped me to awaken a part of me that I had not seen in years, but that I vow to never let sleep again. Eli will probably never know how he touched my life but I will keep him in my daily prayers. For Eli, I pray that he never stops seeing the water slides. I know I never will.

Thanks again for reading and for daring to dare!!

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