A Green World

We arrived home this afternoon and, as I gazed around the yard, I recognized the dogwoods and the redbud trees, the camellias, and the azaleas in their fullest bloom of the season. I acknowledged the pines, the oaks, and even the sweet gum trees with the little aggravating balls that fill our woods. Now, for what I didn't recognize: the slate porch, once a beautiful blue now a dusty yellowish-green; the once-white arbor which needed pressure washing and now bears the same green as its other inanimate friends; and, worst of all, Hubby's pickup which was already a nice shade of green and now sporting a color similar to the mustard that I put on my bologna sandwich last night! The question is, will the sneezing now begin? As for me, I sneeze all year round, especially around unusual odors such as the colored, printed page of a magazine. I wonder if my little granddaughter with the allergies her mom is treating has been suffering unduly. Are my friends who are known to me as serious allergy sufferers, having those unwanted headaches and sinus infections? Spring is such a beautiful time of year. I enjoy seeing folks out walking while smiling and waving at passersby. I love watching the children playing in their sandboxes and being creative, not involved with television, computers, or video games, but with active minds which appear to have been in hibernation during the cold, dark months of winter. Playing ball, riding bikes, being active; these things may prolong their little lives and prevent them from experiencing health problems with which some of us are afflicted. The latest news is that there is a good chance that many of these children will live to be 150 years old! I can't imagine; however, if that's the case, we had better get busy teaching them to enjoy their childhood as we did when we were children. These children have many advantages over me when I was a child, but I wouldn't trade my creative youth for one single video game. The world was green when I was a child; I didn't sneeze like I do today; I didn't have allergies as many do today. I don't understand the difference because I stayed outside much, much more than they do today. All I know is that the world seems much the same today as it did when I was a child; my world is still green today and I will enjoy the beauty of it.