Directions

You know the alley behind the house, with the brick walls covered in honeysuckle that blooms intermittently throughout the year?  And you know where that alley meets the side street, several garages down the way? And farther on, if you cross that street, you see the busy road running parallel along the right? Well, if you're a little girl with nickels in your pocket, you will eventually find your way across that busy street to the deli on the other side, where black – or red – or purple – licorice sticks are there for the choosing, standing side by side in glassy merchant jars. 

The best time to make that trip is mid-morning or early afternoon, when traffic is less daunting and the streets are clear.  You will be able to cross the road more safely then. And you will gladly take your little sister's hand so that she, in your charge, will be safe, too.

But it is hard to speak of those things now – of both safety and the pride of independence in so young a child.  How children trust that they can do big things alone. How parents – once free, now fearful – hold their young ones ever closer, careful lest they bruise.  How sometimes over-guarded children cannot grow and thrive.

Still, let me know before you worry once again.  Before, again, you draw the ribbon tight or plant another grain of doubt.  Come now and remember how it felt to be so bold as to journey on your own without a lead.

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