If Friday was full of fire, then Saturday is an excellent day to sit back and relax thinking about the good ol’ days.  A song reminded me of childhood and long summer days on a swing set.  Nick Cave answers a simple question as a poet would, A quick visit to the Web Design Museum before we Swing Life Away on another summer’s day.

-

I read two things today that reminded me of "the old days."  Growing up in the 70s and 80s, there were a lot of swing sets.  Simple swing sets in people’s back yards shaped like triangles, all metal, squeaky, and if you were swinging fast enough, one side would come up out of the ground until you swung back the other way.  The combo swing and jungle gym were a notch above the simple swing set.  This contraption had monkey bars in the middle, and each of the four corners was a different activity.  One might be a swing, another a rope you could climb, another a fake tire swing, and maybe a slide.

Next-level swings and jungle gyms were at the park or schools.  The playground could have multiple swings, forts, things to climb, tornado slides, rope ladders, and more.  You went to the playground in groups and made up games when you got there, tagged, or you pretended the ground was lava, or you climbed up outside the fort to reach the top, at least until some adult somewhere to you to "get down!"

We had imagination and used it; we were outside with other people, keeping ourselves busy and having meaningless conversations while moving around.  The second thing I read was about being bored and how that is disappearing in the digital world.  It is a challenge to "swing life away" when there are many things to look at on your phone.  Do you remember what it was like to be in the car for 30 minutes and just look out the window?  To daydream and create things waiting to get from one place to another?  Swing sets and playgrounds are still around, most of them are wood or composite, and they have more activities you can play on.  Boredom is a dying trend.

7 minutes of good cheer every day. Become a Fan to get daily posts and updates.

Nick Cave does it again, answering the simplest of questions with the magical pen it seems only the rock and roll poets of our time get to write with.  In the latest issue of Cave's The Red Hand Files, he responds to a woman asking about his routine for finishing a workday. 

After a brief walk through your childhood in the 70s and 80s, take a quick trip through the Web Design Museum, and you can see what the web looked like in the 90s and early 00s.  Everything from Apple's first website to Facebook and Twitter.  Another reminder of the past and how far we've come in a short time.

Swing Set Life.

Click on the Apple Music image to listen to the song on Apple Music or on the Spotify Image to listen to Spotify.

-

Thank you for spending a few minutes with us. Here’s one for the road!

With A Shout newsletter is written by Johnny Christian with the support of a thousand idea bits and the help of many people.

7 minutes of good cheer every day. Become a Fan to get daily posts and updates.

O/X