What has happened to us??

I am fast approaching my next birthday. I am not going to tell you the date, as I am not a big fan of birthdays. I don't hate my birthday; I just don't like to make a big deal of it. I tell Leeann to just kiss me in the morning, tell me "Happy Birthday" and that is it. Anyway, I have been thinking of my age a lot the past month, as I have been very sore the past month with the workouts I have been doing in "Boot Camp". So, I have been much more aware of my age the past couple of days. I have been thinking about what I have seen, where I have been and what I have done. I can tell you, I am very happy with my life up to this point. I have a loving wife and daughter, both very supportive of my dreams and hopes. But, something this week really made me question a few things
This week I have been a "door opener" at Katie's school. This is a volunteer service our school does to help traffic in the morning. There are about 4 of us each morning standing outside the school and we open the door of the cars dropping off the kids for school each day. These past couple of days have opened my eyes to a couple of things:

1. What happened to our excitement in life? I have been watching the kids coming to school and they have been running, laughing and skipping into the school. Do you remember being excited to get to school and seeing your friends, playing on the playground? I have been watching these kids laughing and having so much fun. Why don't we do that as adults? Why do we go off to work each day dragging our feet, head hung down looking forward to nothing more then the end of the day? Where is the excitement in our day? How much better would our day be if we went to work each day with the same laughter, joy and enthusiasm these kids have going to school? We each have chosen the path we are on and only we can choose to change that path or the direction of that path. We have the ability to be just as happy as these kids; we just choose to chase the dollar, and to see who can get the most toys. My only advice is this: There is no prize in heaven for having the most toys, only a prize for the heart for the most joy.


2. The other thing that has had me thinking is the fact that when I was Katie's age, 8, I
lived a greater distance from school than Katie does now. I walked or rode my bike to school each day, not once thinking about how far I had to walk, or if I was in any danger. Today, there is not enough money being printed in the world today to let me allow Katie to walk or ride a bike to school today. That makes me so very sad that we live in a world where a little girl has to be watched over to make sure nothing happens to her. We all read the stories in the newspaper about what happens to kids by people who are very sick. I would love to allow Katie to play outside more, or for her to go to the park down the street and play with other kids, but that is not going to happen

I saw a story in our local paper the other day where they are going to make a playground area bigger, but when I drive around town doing errands I never see kids playing at any playgrounds without either a lot of parents around, or teachers right near by. Why are our kids overweight and video game junkies? Simple, we can't allow them outside to play the way we used to play (kickball, football, baseball games, running in the park, playing tag) because we have some very sick and dangerous people in the world and we are trying to get the most toys.
One more thing since I mentioned tag. There have been several school systems across the country have banned the game of tag. They say it is not good for the kids to be chased after or to be scared from others running after them. The simplest game there is for kids to play is being taken away because some parents don't want their little darlings to get scared or feel like someone is after them. Why are our kids overweight???

This one last thing and I will get off my soapbox. We got a notice from school the other day about the grading system Knox County will be using for kids. They will be using letter grades as follows: A, B, C, D, & U. Do you notice anything???
That is right, there is no "F"s. So kids can't fail anymore. This has to be some over the top mom or dad who didn't want their kid to feel like a failure in life. I got a few "F"'s in my life. I am not a failure, I don't have low self-esteem, and I am a pretty normal person and pretty well adjusted. The "F" made me work harder (along with a belt from my dad, more about that later) to make sure I didn't get another one. I felt bad for making that grade. I knew each time that I could have done better, and I did.

My birthday is in a couple of days and I have to ask, what has happened to us???