Swing Away

Over the last couple of months, it had all come crashing down.

And he didn't know what to do. So he walked. Out the front door of his home, to the front of his yard, treading over the grass he had taken meticulous care of over the past couple months. When his shoes finally met the concrete of the sidewalk, he turned and continued on his way. Down the street, into the heart of the nieghborhood. As he went, the occasional neighbor would wave out to him, wish him a good morning, but he didn't reciprocate. He barely even noticed. Walking off into the distance.

Work had all but disappeared - a product of the economy. He didn't know where to go and who to turn to. It hadn't taken long for him to begin doubting himself. If he had made the right choices in life. Prepared properly for the real world. At first it had been amazing. Completely exhilarating. Everything was new. So vibrant. He was excited for each new day. But as time wore on, everything that had once shimmered began to fade. It all looked dull. Monotone. Each morning was harder than the last. He'd force himself out of bed and into the office. The time would crawl by. Sometimes seeming to stand still. Seconds dragging on for what felt like hours.

He wanted an escape. He needed an escape. He just didn't know how.

When he finally realized where he was, he was a bit started. He had walked through the heart of the town, down to the old playground where he and his friends used to spend every afternoon after school. Everything still stood proudly, only showing age through chipped paint and rust spots where the metal had been exposed. Remembering those afternoons brought a smile to his face. A feeling he had almost forgotten. As a kid, he had nothing to worry about aside from being home for curfew. He'd laugh with his friends, climbing along the monkey bars, rocketing down the slide, jumping on the cargo net. At that age he seemed invincible. Naive to what the real world would bring.

As he stood there, the loose sand embracing his shoes, he felt drawn toward it all again. Deep down he felt the need to relive those moments. So he walked toward the swings, running his fingertips along the rubber seats - remembering at one time that they had been smooth, now only to have become cracked and worn. But as he sat down and begun to sway, he felt the weight of the world begin to lift off his shoulders. It all didn't seem so bad. The more and more he swung back and forth, the lighter and lighter he felt. And thats when it finally struck him.

He didn't always need to have his feet planted on the ground.