When someone says she has a surprise for you, what pops into your head? Maybe it has to do with an inside joke you shared. Or perhaps you remember something you may have mentioned in passing that caught your interest and you’re wondering if The Surpriser could possibly remember such a seemingly insignificant detail.
My cousin Kris had a surprise for everyone who attended her summer BBQ a couple of weekends ago. And it was one hell of a surprise…
At first, I thought I had stumbled into the wrong backyard. Then it finally dawned on me how wonderfully wrong I was: a bouncy castle beckoned! I squealed with delight, kicked off my sandals and squeezed through the toddler-sized opening, immediately launching my body onto the irresistibly bouncy surface.
I was jumping anywhere and everywhere and constantly lost my balance, toppling over laughing and getting back up to jump again until I was out of breath and there was nothing more to do than collapse on the brightly coloured inflatable exterior, my exhaling leaving behind a most satisfied smile.
This continued throughout the entire afternoon and well after the sun dipped below the horizon. My other young-at-heart mid-twenties friends and I all made attempts to see who could achieve the greatest height, who could run the fastest, who could most effectively play charades while constantly bouncing, often falling over in an endless fit of giggles.
I was reminded of an animator I interviewed last year. Kaj Pindal, a man in his 80s, built a train in his backyard — not a model train, not quite a steam engine, but an honest-to-goodness electric train that he could physically ride through his expansive property.
I want to be like that when I’m well into my 80s. I never want to be too old to enjoy the silly things that make me happy.
Especially when bouncy castles are part of the mix. (And maybe Churchill’s belly.)
