Swinging

In my English class last semester, we had to write a paper on something that we believe in. It was the first paper we wrote. We had to post them to the website "thisibelieve.org." There are a lot of really interesting essays on here and mine just got published to it yesterday. I wrote this in August of last year, at a time when I had just ended things with someone who meant a lot to me. Parts may be a little overexxagerated, but its true for the most part. Hope you enjoy!

Who doesn’t have a fond memory of swinging at the park? Perhaps your father pushed you or maybe you were always a solo-swinger. Either way you know the joys of the breeze against your face and the way your hair blows all over the place when you swing back. You know the method of pumping to pull yourself higher and higher into the sky; you know the feeling of flying. Playgrounds, and ultimately swings, are a symbol of childhood and most people outgrow it. You outgrow it because you believe you must grow up, although that is not always the case. Swinging, I believe, is one of the simple pleasures of life and there is no reason to ever outgrow something as wonderful as a swing.

For me, swings hold more memories that last into my late teenage years. “The Swings,” as we referred to them, represent a classic summer romance with a boy who will forever be on my mind. We would meet numerous times a week at the swings behind his house. Sometimes it would be with multiple friends, other times it would just be the two of us. Deep conversations about life and love occurred there, along with easier conversations about the pointless drama of high school. Swinging alternated between competitions to see who could get the highest and just lazily letting the swing take us where it wanted. The Swings will always hold a piece of my heart, and for more than its childish pleasures.

The Swings represent the beginning, middle, and end for this summer love of mine. I guess you could even say our love was like that of a swing. The beginning took a little bit of a push to get into and to truly enjoy, but once it got going, there was no stopping it. We were flying high in both the metaphorical sense and the literal. Together, we were having fun and exploring the parameters of young love. In the end it was a little bit like slowing down and then abruptly jumping off. We knew the end was coming, because school was quickly approaching. We were able to slow down a little, but not without dragging our feet along the ground. And then, it was as if we had jumped off when we were only halfway slowed. It was over before we knew it and there was nothing we could do to stop it. We left our summer and our love sitting at the swings when the time was right.

Through everything the swings and I have been through, nothing will ever stop me from enjoying them. It is possible that they represent more for me than they might for you. For me, they represent a childhood full of memories and an adolescence full of even more. Swings will forever be able to take me back to any time and any memory I choose. I believe that you are never too old for a good swing.