I’m always looking for reasons to get my gratitude on. Today it’s something from a big long time ago.

We had a couple of apple trees in our backyard when I was growing up. They sort of made an umbrella of shade on a fairly large expanse. I had a red seated, chipped paint swing on a rusty chain under there. I used it a lot. It made me feel free and sort of like I was flying, which was one of my childhood ambitions. There was a branch that I used to try and touch with my toes. It forced me to pump harder and stretch my legs beyond their size. I could swing for a long time before I got tired of it. Sometimes it was the place I went when my dad was yelling.

For some reason, swings make me dizzy now, but back then, my backyard swing made me feel like I could reach the sun, and every single one of the planets.