When we were kids

Some of my fondest memories are being a kid at Otter Lake, probably between the ages of 5 and 12. Reminiscing with cousins recently, we laughed at all the energy we had back then!

We would wake up with the sun and literally run around outside all day. We had treehouses and tire swings. We went swimming, picked berries and flowers, played tag (you’re IT!) and frisbee, and looked for frogs in the creeks.

On special days an adult would take us out on a boat to go perch fishing. We would reel them in faster than our parents could take them off the line and rebait our hook! I remember giggling with delight when my dad would open the throttle on our largest outboard motor, a mint green Johnson 20 hp.

If it rained we’d play Yahtzee, Monopoly or cards or read our favorite books (Nancy Drew was my hero). Summer seemed endless.

When you’re a kid, the world is your oyster. There are no clocks or deadlines or, in those days, emails, text messages and social media to distract you.

You just do what you love from daybreak to sunset. When night falls you “clean up,” eat a good meal with your family, and exchange stories of the day’s adventures. When you “hit the sack” you fall asleep in an instant and dream of what’s next. Then you get up and do it all over again.

That’s the real good life.