The Little Explorer in Me

Why Am I Such An Explorer?

This traveling blogger started her adventures around four years of age. She lived for the first few years of her life in a small coastal town not very far away. It had much history and was well lived in by a few generations.

She started by visiting with Oma, the elderly Russian woman whose backyard was adjacent to hers.  Sneaking around the fence from the side with a hole big enough for a little one to sneak through, she would crawl down on her knees to get the vegetable garden Oma kept.  Once through the fence, the little girl would walk through the patch of tomatoes, lettuce, and sunflower stalks that were so high they were touching the sun.

Ariel View of Elberon, New Jersey

She marveled at the colors and the smells of the garden.  This was her first experience of the outside world by herself.  There were no adults, nobody holding her hand or talking over her four year old inquisitiveness. She knew that the outside world, away from her own boring realm of cartoons, naps and playtime in a guarded area of the house could have possibilities of sights, smells, and activities that were beyond her imagination.

One day she decided to ride her red tricycle through Oma’s garden.  This took her through the yard to the driveway that led to the street on the other side of the house.  She felt empowered and not afraid to ride down the sidewalk past unfamiliar houses that would lead her to that next adventure.  Just like Pippi Longstocking, Alice and Wonderland or little Jackie Paper (friend of Puff the Magic Dragon) she would meet new friends and have those memories of merriment to carry all her life into the boring adulthood that she saw all around her in the grownups that she knew.

Elberon Train Station

She made it all the way to the train tracks, looked both ways, and crossed over.  She was of course a mature, responsible four-year old.  No one understood how articulate she was but just like any other life form on the planet, she could figure things out.

She rode past the stable of beautiful mares looking perplexed as this little human rode by on that red tricycle and waved, “Hi horsey’s!”  The beach was two blocks away and the smell of pine and salt water inspired her to keep peddling.

The little girl made her way to a firehouse with the fireman washing the big red truck.  “My bike is red is too,” she said.  A young fireman smiled and looked over her head.  She knew in her little mind he was looking for an adult that should have been minding her.  She waved and mentioned she was running an errand for her mother and quickly rode away. 

Elberon Firehouse and Drug Store

The excitement of being sneaky was overwhelming but the little one realized she was testing the limits of freedom that day.  That didn’t mean she couldn’t stop at the candy store with a few pennies she found in the yard. Afterwards, it was a nod at the tracks, look both ways, and ride as fast as she could all the way home.

This time she rode down the street she lived on. The little girl rode up to her front yard where she was met by the towering hedges.  A great place to hide a bicycle, she thought, as she heard her mom walking in those platform sandals clonking down the driveway. 

The little girl stood on the sidewalk and pretended she was playing hopscotch as her mom grabbed her hand and said to her, “Dear, you shouldn’t play outside the yard where mommy can’t see you.” The little girl responded, “I’m sorry mommy. I was playing hide and seek again with my (pretend) friend Marsha.”

She then was whisked inside for another bout of a cartoon afternoon.  She reveled in the excitement of the next sneaky adventure to come.

Now, to my readers: This is an actual event that I have a clear memory of from childhood.  I am sure this inspired my adventurous side.  I thank God everyday, I was never harmed and it goes to show you, how easy a child can wander out of eyesight.  Either way, I learned early on that outside play and fresh air when we are young could inspire our adventurous side the rest of our lives.

Enjoy Living.