According to every source I could find, Labor Day is a holiday. Specifically, it is a day off for working citizens. For all of my class mates, Labor Day was a day of 4 wheeling, and boating. For me, it was a day of labor, literally. I don’t know why our beloved parents, in their infinite wisdom, decided to destroy a perfectly good holiday with back breaking labor, but that was the bleak world I knew as an oppressed 8 year old.
Now I was a very competent (and devious) 8 year old, so I decided to do something about it! I hatched a plan so perfect, that it HAD to work.
My dad had been a scout master for years. I knew he had a passion for backpacking, camping and hiking. I thought that if I could think of some truly epic hike…he might, just might be willing to make an exception for me (like I said, devious).
So there I was, in desperate need for inspiration, and I turned my eyes skyward to the mountains by our house. Cue the angelic choir! The mountain near our house has reflectors on it. I don’t know what kind. I think they are for TV signals, but the reflectors are huge, bigger than a house. Not only that, but the mountain seemed pretty huge too. If only I could convince them to let me go and hike up there. That would take me all day! But how? I was only 8! They would never let me go alone, and without their permission, my friends would not be able to go either…
So here is how it went down. I went to a dark room and called my friend Ben Wright.
“Hey Ben, do you want to go hike to the reflectors to day? My parents said it was okay as long as your parents said it was okay…okay, ask them, I will call you back” *click*
“Hey John (Kemp), do you want to go hike the reflectors today? My parents said it was okay as long as your parents said it was okay…okay, ask them, I will call you back” *click*
“Hey dad, is it okay if me and Ben and John (me, not I…I was only 8) hike up to the reflectors today? Ben and John’s parents both said it was okay with them as long as it was okay with you.”
And it worked perfectly. So here were three 8 year old kids, hiking straight up a really steep mountain, to climb on HUGE metal reflectors all alone, and hours away from medical help if one of us got hurt...
Now I was a very competent (and devious) 8 year old, so I decided to do something about it! I hatched a plan so perfect, that it HAD to work.
My dad had been a scout master for years. I knew he had a passion for backpacking, camping and hiking. I thought that if I could think of some truly epic hike…he might, just might be willing to make an exception for me (like I said, devious).
So there I was, in desperate need for inspiration, and I turned my eyes skyward to the mountains by our house. Cue the angelic choir! The mountain near our house has reflectors on it. I don’t know what kind. I think they are for TV signals, but the reflectors are huge, bigger than a house. Not only that, but the mountain seemed pretty huge too. If only I could convince them to let me go and hike up there. That would take me all day! But how? I was only 8! They would never let me go alone, and without their permission, my friends would not be able to go either…
So here is how it went down. I went to a dark room and called my friend Ben Wright.
“Hey Ben, do you want to go hike to the reflectors to day? My parents said it was okay as long as your parents said it was okay…okay, ask them, I will call you back” *click*
“Hey John (Kemp), do you want to go hike the reflectors today? My parents said it was okay as long as your parents said it was okay…okay, ask them, I will call you back” *click*
“Hey dad, is it okay if me and Ben and John (me, not I…I was only 8) hike up to the reflectors today? Ben and John’s parents both said it was okay with them as long as it was okay with you.”
And it worked perfectly. So here were three 8 year old kids, hiking straight up a really steep mountain, to climb on HUGE metal reflectors all alone, and hours away from medical help if one of us got hurt...
And it was wonderful. It took us hours to hike up, and we ate lunch at the top of the mountain, and it took us hours to get back…and we felt like we had begun the day as boys, but returned as men! Little 8 year old men!
My daughter is 7. I try to imagine her a year from now, and frankly, she could ask to walk around the block and I would have heartburn about it. WHAT WERE OUR PARENTS THINKING!
Whatever they were thinking, it made me a better person. Thanks for that.
3 comments:
Wade, I love you but you cannot be trusted. Look at you! This is why everyone delights to beat you at board games, your little mind is always cranking little schemes that sound harmless.
As you can see from my Christmas post...most of my schemes crashed and burned. This was the only one I can think of that worked!
Wade, this is one occasion that your scheming merits a 'thanks' from your siblings. We all benefited from your hike idea through the years. Labor Day became a hike - not a work day, and that is awesome! I can still remember mom and dad outside the house with a mirror trying to send you a signal with it and waiting for you to do the same at around 12:00. I saw your mirror flash signal, too.
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