Earthbound

This is in response to the StoryWorth question: Did you have a favorite planet as a child?

Well, considering that, as a child, I probably knew nothing of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, or poor and since demoted Pluto, I would have to say that Earth was my favorite planet. Earth was where my peeps and I lived.

 

 
My parents, my brother, all of my family members were Earthlings. Kimmy, the little girl next door was an Earthling and I did enjoy playing outside with her. My teachers and classmates at school were Earthlings and I rather liked school. The playground equipment at school was firmly planted on Earth and I loved to see how high I could reach in the swing. Climbing up the monkey bars and sliding back down to Earth on the pole in the middle was always great fun and the merry-go-round on playground Earth made feeling like you might puke somehow enjoyable.

Earth held such beauty. I can recall going to the orchard with Aunt Alta in the fall to pick up some apples and most likely a package of cracklings too. This was in the fall when the leaves had changed from green everywhere to shades of gold, crimson, orange, and browns; such a variety of beautiful fall colors! And those leaves would waft ever gently from the trees onto the ground and they made delightful crackling sounds as I walked through them.

There was a playground close by with swings and a tall slide. I recall pushing a pile of those beautifully colored leaves to the base of the slide. What fun it was to slide down into that pile of leaves sending them flying into the air yet again!

 

                                                               Picnic grounds Earth

And Earth held Anglin Branch where Grandpa and Grandma Smith lived. For a little girl born in Dayton, Ohio, their home there on Anglin Branch was a magical place full of adventure. There were blue-tailed lizards that scurried up the stone steps leading up to the porch. There were crawdaddies and minnows to catch in that branch. Sun dappled the water and caught the iridescent wings of dragonflies darting along the creek bank and over the water flowing towards the sea.

The hills surrounding Grandpa and Grandma’s place served as a home for Grandpa’s giant friend who lived there. When mists cloaked the hillsides, Grandpa’s giant was smoking his pipe. And when those mists were present or when rain was approaching, I could smell the rain. That smell of rain held the rich, fertile perfume of Earth in it.

 
Earth served as the home for Grandpa and Grandma’s chickens, their cow, their horse Silver, their mules, their hog. That same Earth caught my cousin Darryl and me when we slid off of the mule’s back while it was being led around, giving us a ride. If Earth hadn’t caught us, we might have gone spinning off into space!

My brother, my cousins, and I would make mud pies with the dusty earth in the lane that led to Grandpa and Grandma’s house. Grandpa and Grandma planted seeds into that earth and a bounty of produce sprang from Earth ensuring their family’s survival. They planted tobacco seedlings into Earth and this provided a bit of cash for them to purchase the things that they could not raise themselves. It also gave them a bit of cash to purchase hard candies, oranges, and pretty apples for Christmas stockings.

 

     

                                                                Mud pie bakery Earth

                                                                  Cash crop spot Earth

In the evening it got really dark on Anglin as there were no city lights to push back the darkness. That made the stars and moon ever so much easier to see. The sky looked like a swath of black velvet with brilliant jewels scattered upon it. I suppose that a few of those sparkling jewels that I admired may have been those other planets, but I was oblivious to that fact. My feet were planted firmly on Earth and that Earth was what I knew and loved.

It was only later that I came to appreciate other planets. Uranus has always been good for a chuckle, but my favorite other planet is one that does not really exist… at least, I don’t think it does. That planet is Bobnanna. When my son Cameron was young, he often claimed that he was from another planet named Bobnanna. We would smile in appreciation of his wonderful imagination. I am ever thankful that Bobnanna sent Cammy to be with our family as I cannot imagine not having our Bobnannian in the family! Thus Bobnanna now holds a special place in my heart.

A few years ago, Pluto was demoted from planethood. I suppose that I have a soft spot in my heart for Pluto as I tend to root for the underdog. Poor Pluto would seem to be one.

As I have aged, my love for Earth has only grown. I realize that Earth’s bounty has provided for my family’s survival over the generations. Ancestors left homelands to cross the vast ocean in order to lay claim to a piece of that Earth. It has provided a place to live and often to thrive. Even in death, Earth welcomes family members into its bosom. Eventually, each of us will return to that Earth and become one with that Earth.

 

                                                                    Dust to dust.

Yes, I love Earth. My family has loved Earth for generations and now they are surely a very part of it.