The Mackey women on an adventure
When we were kids, parents were the exact opposite of helicopter parents.
After breakfast they told you to go outside and play. They expected you to get dirty and not die. They warned (read: threatened) you about a whole lot of things not to do.
You didn’t tell them if you played in the street, ate strange weeds that some kid told you were delicious or dared you to eat, got cut or scraped up or a myriad of other things that today would send some parents into a dead faint.
If you got hurt you went home. They scolded you, patched you up, took you to the doctor or the hospital and didn’t really seem that worried. You were a kid. Kids were tough and childhood was full of a lot of knocks. They survived and you would too. No big deal.
Nope, you were on your own. Toys were dangerous and were often little, metal and had vicious sharp edges. We were always up to date on our tetanus shots. I don’t know anyone my age that doesn’t have a scar under their chin.
Who hasn’t picked gravel out of their knees or had a tooth knocked out or chipped from a swing set or teeter totter mishap? Teeter totters, monkey bars and merry-go-rounds from the school playground were notorious for causing concussions, dragging injuries, multiple lacerations and vomiting.
When I was 12 I was scheduled to meet my sister Mary Mackey in Mexico and drive back to the States with her. Here’s the telegram she sent to my parents: “Ignore earthquake, volcano and riots. Send (Zain).” And they did! I don’t know if my parents were unconcerned, trusted Mary or were looking to get rid of me.
They dropped me off at the airport and I flew to Mexico City alone. I spoke no Spanish. I had to go through customs and I didn’t see my sister anywhere (although she said she could see me). Boy was I was afraid.
We had an kick ass vacation. In fact, we’ve had several eventful and unexpectedly bizarre vacations together. You can read about one of our vacations in a short story Mary wrote called “Night of the Army Ants” that’s included in the book “I Should Have Stayed Home” from Book Passage Press (Amazon has it). It’s a great story that got us into People Magazine and on the Maury Povich show many years ago. In fact, Amazon carries quite a few of Mary’s books.
Somehow Mary and I survived our childhoods mostly intact. And here we are today, tough old birds still game for an adventure and still sharing our passion for writing and finding the laughter in life. Can I help you find your laughter and enjoyment in life for those things you always wanted to do? Let’s have a chat about how to get you doing the things you love best. Just click here! to schedule a free Groundwork session. Or if you’re the curious type and want to know what else I do, Click here for info! about working with me. Wishing you the courage to dream big, reach high and laugh at lot! Subscribe by clicking here!
PS: You can tell me what a tough little kid you were too if you hit reply. I love that stuff.
xo
–Z
