Rapid Eye Reality

Home of Brad Willis: writer, traveler, and suburban warrior

Some things never change

by · April 30, 2012

You can move from one house to another. You can mature beyond your age. You can grow up as fast as fate allows. But sometimes the unavoidable gravity of youth pulls your face back to the spray of a springtime lawn sprinkler. There, you are still young. Still four years old. Still mid-kiss with an Elmo you still idolized. It doesn’t matter that when you were four your mommy and daddy set up the sprinkler for you. It doesn’t matter that you found an old sprinkler today at age 7 and hooked up everything yourself. It doesn’t matter that in three years you’ll be ten and probably fascinated with girls. What matters is that it’s hot today, you finished your first grade homework in record time, and mom and dad are too focused on work to keep an eye on what trouble you may cause.

What matters is remembering not to grow up.

Age 4

This afternoon, Age 7

Brad Willis

Brad Willis is a writer based in Greenville, South Carolina. Willis spent a decade as an award-winning broadcast journalist. He has worked as a freelance writer, columnist, and professional blogger since 2005. He has also served as a commentator and guest on a wide variety of television, radio, and internet shows.

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2 Responses

  1. Lee Jones says:
    April 30, 2012 at 5:51 pm

    What I notice is how much further he has to bend over to get the full sprinkler-in-the-face effect. Fortunately, with his old man, he’s in little danger of forgetting to not grow up. Thanks for the smiles – both of them.

    Regards, Lee

  2. Mike Daly says:
    April 30, 2012 at 9:29 pm

    Happiness is…the water may taste like a garden hose, but from a sprinkler on a hot day, that’s just fine.