Running Through Sprinklers

Yesterday I headed out for a long run in my hometown of Greenville, South Carolina.  Yes, even in the heat and humidity, I decided to go for a 5 miler.  With temperatures already near 90, I headed out of my mom's neighborhood, which is very close to the street where I grew up.

Off I go, thinking...."This isn't so bad." Well, that didn't last for long.  The few clouds I had for the first half mile quickly disappeared and the sun was beating down on me as I ran toward Augusta Road.  Time to get in the trees! So as fast I could, I headed into the neighborhood where I spent most of my childhood.  Running down Crescent Avenue I noticed how many of the homes had changed or are currently under renovation, like the home that used to be completely blocked with a six foot hedge.  Now with the hedge gone, it is completely visible from the street.  I've always enjoyed running or walking Crescent Avenue.  My mom and I used to walk it a lot as part of a large square route we'd do from home on Capers to Crescent down to McDaniel then around to Jones and back up Capers to home.  Some trails and routes are so engrained in our minds that even when we've gone away for a long time, there's the comfort of returning to that route where you knew every turn, every crack or bump in the sidewalk, and every home.

It was on Crescent that I ran through my first sprinkler.  On a hot morning the refreshingly cold water was invigorating.  There were a couple of other folks out running, walking or working in their yard.  It's such a treat to run past someone and they speak or wave. Yes, it's so Southern, but I love it.  Funny I thought, how doing something I did hundreds of times as a child started bringing up some childhood memories on this run.

As I kept running I passed an old boyfriend's home. During high school, he looked like the rocker, bad boy dude.  My parents weren't thrilled when I dated him but he always treated me with respect and was actually a perfect gentleman.  It made me a little sad as I'd lost touch with him years ago and then heard a couple of years ago he'd passed away.  I turned the corner and ran through a second sprinkler.  As I continued to run down the hill then up on my way to Cleveland Street, I ran by a house that I always wondered about.  It's perched way up on the hill and the driveway twists and turns as it winds up to the house.  As a child, I always said I wanted a big house like that.  It was my dream home....then.  Now I know that big houses aren't always what they seem.  Better to have a small home filled with love, than a big home filled with secrets, lies, and unhappiness.  Supposedly that big house has had those over the years.

With the sun now beating down, I weaved up and down a few roads, then made my way to McDaniel, turned right on Jones, then left on to my old street Capers.  Running up the street I ran through two sprinklers and just laughed.  How lucky I was to grow up on a street where we played outside, especially during the summer.  I can still remember our moms hollering at all the kids at dusk that it was time to come home.  For a few moments, running on the sidewalk, I was transported to a Friday or Saturday evening of hide-and-seek and other games with the other neighborhood kids then at 8pm all of us heading home for family tv nights of Incredible Hulk and Dukes of Hazard on Fridays and Love Boat and Fantasy Island on Saturdays. 

I ended up doing about 5.5 miles on a hot morning, but traveled a lot farther in my memories.  Funny how running through sprinklers can take you back to childhood in an instant.