It’s an almost overcast Friday afternoon in Stonington. Z is at a sleepover. House is rather quiet as I sip my fifth or sixth cup of coffee of the day. Dog is on her red buffalo plaid bed beneath a painting of sunflowers given to me by J. The painting does not look like your typical school artwork but more like something that belongs in a gallery. Anyhow – J has friends over for an Airsoft Guns battle in the backyard or at the field across the street or over the river and through the woods. As I think about my college days, my childhood, my twenties and even ten years ago – I did not see my son having Airsoft Guns battles. I did not see him going on a Bluefish Tournament the day before a Hurricane was supposed to hit the coast. I did not predict that he would own a compound bow either. But – this is Stonington and it ain’t so typical of a place. It’s a place where the kids are fearless in a way that you think The Dangerous Book for Boys was written for just this town. Motocross, longboarding, fishing, jumping off the dock, hockey on the pond, soccer in the pouring rain, bikes being left on someone else’s front lawn, Paintball, nothing more than a hoodie as cold weather gear when the temp is 29° and being indoors for more than a few hours happens only a couple of times each year. Remarkably, the kids are pretty healthy too. But – I truly believe that happiness buys health in many, many ways. What better way to be happy than hanging with your friends, having a lifestyle that includes all the outdoor experiences that should be part of growing up? When J is around kids that are not from here – it’s noticeable that he has life experiences that are memorable not because of a dollar value that goes with each experience but because the time he spends just ain’t so typical.
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