We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing.
Charles Schaefer
———-
Jeanne and Maggie were at swimming, and Max and I were home playing. After some good ol’ fashioned wrasslin’, He wanted to play Ninjas! So he got dressed in his ninja costume (yes, he has one! They have a whole slew of dressup clothes/costumes to play with) and I dressed in black sweats and my black hoodie. We turned out most of the lights, and spent about 45 minutes skulking around the house, being quiet and ninja-ish!
Occasionally he would show me a Ninja Move or Ninja Pose that I had to copy, or explain a new part of the game to me.
“We have to hide in the shadows, and protect everybody! We’re good guys!”
So, just before the ladies were expected home, I made a sign on notebook paper: Warning! This house guarded by ninjas! I posted it on the front door. We were, of course, hiding in the shadows of the living room when they walked in – they entered quietly, looking around cautiously.
“Careful Maggie, look for the ninjas!”, whispered Jeanne.
Max and I, as he had arranged, stepped in front of them in VERY commanding Ninja Poses. (Oh, don’t laugh, you know you have a commanding Ninja Pose, too!)
Barely visible in the deep shadows, Max stood before the potential intruders.
“Password?” he queried, face hidden in his ninja mask.
“Um, Ala Kazaam?” answered Jeanne.
A beat of Ninja silence.
“You may enter” he said solemnly.
Then he and I slid silently back into the shadows of the living room.
The ladies removed their outerwear as Max and I continued stealthily guarding the house. Once coats and shoes were off, of course, Maggie and Jeanne wanted to play too, so Max and I showed them our best “roll from one shadowy corner of the living room to another” moves, and we all skulked about in the shadows for a few minutes practicing our best Ninja Moves. (In all modesty, I must say I look absolutely fabulous as a shadowy lump on the cedar chest. Even Jeanne thought so!)
Eventually, of course, I had to break the spell, and order teeth brushed and books read for bed. Not before, however, Jeanne took a snapshot of Max and I in our VERY commanding Ninja Poses.
That’s gonna be a good one for the scrapbook.
———-
We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
George Bernard Shaw
Tony Caselli 
Just awesome.
It made my biological clock tick!
LOL! Sorry ’bout the clock thing! As long as it was just a tick -you’ve still got plenty of time before the big alarms start going off, you’ll be okay!
That’s awesome! Just when my want for kids has been squelched by screaming brats in the Supermarkets, I read something adorable like this.
Sheesh. Makes me want some of my own.
Sheesh. Makes me want some of my own.
*chuckle* Okay, that made me laugh! I’ll let you in on a secret:
Even parents hate those screams in the supermarkets. Even from their own kids!
But, see, if I posted about all the times we DIDN’T have fun, you’d not want kids of your own. People all over the world would go “Well, damn, I’m not making any of THOSE little things!” and then 1)No one else would know the fresh hell of a 5 year old pushing his independence boundaries, and 2)The world would become seriously underpopulated, and there might not be enough people to make the things that I really want to have.
So mostly, any re-telling of these stories isn’t because I’m really having a good time, it’s mostly about preservation of my lifestyle!
🙂
I think you need to have a Ninja party or something cause I want to play too!!
Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful to have you as a pal and coffee buddy!
Now THAT would be fun! Some winter evening, around 7pm, everyone can come over in your black outfits, and we’ll skulk about the house together, and Max can teach everyone his Ninja Moves(tm)!
And, thank you – I’m thankful for your friendship as well!
There are no words
Well hello there Miss Reticent! Miss “I’ve been a little absent from LJ lately!” Miss One-Way Txt Msg! Miss Meliss! (Okay, that last one is lame, but it rhymed…that’s worth points, right?)
Hope all is well! Have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow!
And PS – thanks, I’m glad you liked the Ninja story, but there are SO words – you used some very well in your last lovely post!
*laughs*
As my son would say “ooooh mom….you’ve been told” 😉
Okay OKAY 😉 I have 5 (that’s FIVE) Days off! Ahh. SO what do I want to do INSTEAD of relax? Still tear down that wall paper in the kitchen. I’m so weird.
And this post, was sweet in all aspects. But my words could not possibly be as touched as your words. I just see it in a different light.
Hah, I think I shall test you now 😛
Hah! Your test worked! “I don’t think this is working today” is totally incorrect! HAH! Final grade: Tony gets an A+ on RR’s little test!
*tiny victory dance including the Twist, the Robot, and a tiny little Ninja flourish at the end*
Hey, I’ve got 5 days too, and I’m using them to clean my basement office, christmas shop, all sorts of things!! None of them as yucky as tearing down wallpaper, but still….a little work that YOU pick is way better than a little work someone makes you do!