this imploding heart

I left my home and my family

I picked Tiny up from the Seatown airport on Friday night, and we drove from there straight into our childhoods. We picked apples out on Greenbluff and saw all the animals at the county fair with Tiny's momma and poppa. We got wristbands for the rides, dropped mom and dad off, and went back to get stupid and go crazy before the lights shut down. And this happened:

When we arrived back for round 2, we entered through the kiddie-ride park. I fervently insisted that Tiny and I go on the Giant Slide, despite her protests that you had to be under a certain age or height. At the top, a little tiny blonde pigtailed girl in a blue coat said to the woman running the attraction: "I'm scared! This is going to be scary!" The woman replied: "It's not going to be scary, it's going to be lots of fun. Look, I bet this woman would even hold your hand."

I smiled at her and bobbed my own pigtails. "You bet. Do you want to hold my hand?" And she bobbed her pigtails back. Tiny watched as I rode down the Giant Slide holding hands with a 5 year old version of myself, Towheads, blue jackets, cords, tennies and all.
When we got to the bottom safely, I turned to myself, "That was fun, huh!?" "Yeah!" little-itsy me replied, "I'm gonna go again!"

A lot of things happened in the middle, but when we were tuckered out and getting ready to leave, Tiny noted that the Giant Swing would be a perfect way to round out the evening. We waited in line and ran to get outside swings when the ride stopped. I didn't notice it right away. As we rose into air, the little girl next to Tiny started moving like she was running in space. I saw Tiny look, consider, and start to run too. A minute later, Tiny threw out her arms and tilted her head back. The little girl, with her long blonde hair, delicate features, red jacket and jeans (just like Tiny had on) smiled over at the adult version of herself, threw out her arms like wings and flew through the air. Their fingers almost touched.

We didn't mention it until we were laying in bed in the dark.

"Nothing like coming home to put you back in touch with yourself."

apples at Greenbluff

The Fair with Mom and Dad

Skinny-dipping at the spot where I learned to swim

Dutch Breakfast!

YoYoYommmmmm

I'm (hopefully) easing out of a 2 day case of *CRAZY HANDS*. Symptoms: erratic motor skills; dropping shot glasses directly into drinks, slopping chocolate everywhere, incessantly flared nostrils of frusteration.

As I dried off the outside of a drink I made for a co-worker, I explained my sorry condition.

"Perhaps you need a morning of meditation." He offered.

Maybe I'll take the water taxi to west seattle tomorrow. Meditation on the porch is out, as we have a near front-row seat of Bumbershoot. (save a mile of downward slope. Right now I can hear Blue Scholars opening up for Kanye West. YoYoYo! Yeeah. )