We recently returned from a trip to the UK. This was more of an adventure vacation, and included a walk in the beautiful English countryside, along something called, “The Cotswold Way”. When I say “walk”, I really mean “hike”, as we trod an average of 12 miles each day from one town to the next, through fields, farms and forests, over hills that were “goodly ups” I’m told. And though it may seem as though this would be a test of endurance, it was not. No mistaking that we expended a lot of energy, and encountered our share of challenges, but the greater takeaway was that we were invigorated by the journey. So much natural beauty, such diverse landscapes, often communal with our surroundings.
This scene presented itself as we emerged from a wooded area, into a small neighborhood. What struck me is the universality of childhood resourcefulness. It is a reminder that joy can be cultivated from the most basic elements… in this case, a tree and a tire.