Other Side of the Sun

Say, say, oh playmate, come out and play with me, and bring your dollies three, climb up my apple tree. Shout down my rain barrel, slide down my cellar door and we’ll be jolly friends forever more. Say, say, oh playmate, I can not play with you, my dolly has the flu, boo-hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo. Ain’t got no rain barrel, ain’t got no cellar door, but we’ll be jolly friends, forever more.

I always wondered about that song and thought it was literally talking about a playmate (as it very well may be) until I had an epiphany. Last week it was so warm, we spent a few days outside and even got our bikes out! The kids had so much fun running around and riding their bikes. Once we had been out of doors a little while, I couldn’t help but notice how they BOTH kept looking over to the side of them---at their SHADOWS. It was like they each had their own playmate that was right there beside them doing everything they did and wanted to do. Unlike a human playmate, their shadows didn’t give them any disagreement and was with them wholly, continually and completely. Benton would run like the wind all the while looking over at his shadow, cool . . . Alea would pedal until her legs burned and continuously looked over to see her shadow mimicking her, wow. . . I was blown away at how both of my children found such companionship in their shadows! I guess when you don’t see one for a while, it is such a novel rediscovery. Instantly, I thought of this song, probably the word playmate, and it had such a different meaning. Oh, the simple things we take for granted.