"Malling"

Today is Saturday. That means errands, errands, and more errands. Because the weather is absolutely gorgeous, I wasn't real thrilled to go to the mall. The mall by my house is an outdoors mall, and it's actually very nice, but still, errands are errands. I was picturing a whole day spent outside -- planting my flower pots, walking the doggies, sunning, you know, a day to myself.

I get to the mall. A totally crowded mall. Of course, it's Saturday which means the Farmer's Market. Which is usually fun when I walk to the mall, but today I'm driving. Crap. For a split second I decide to go back home, but that means I just have to come back. So I trudge forward. I fill the gas tank (when did gas get expensive again???), wash the car (I love shiny tires!), go to Sam's and fill the trunk of the car with food and stuff (Sam's and Costco have LOTS of "stuff" which I probably don't need, but who can resist 96 rolls of TP?).

As I am on my way out of the mall, I drive by the fountains. All the little kiddies are running through the sprays of water while shrieks of laughter escape from them, their moms and dads are just outside of the perimeter of water, soaking up the sun, watching their children, and catching up and sharing the latest neighborhood gossip with each other. And behind the parents are...tweenagers. Just milling about, trying to look so very cool, but I'll bet that they are all wishing they are little again so they could run unabashedly through the fountains.

As I am enjoying watching the people (BTW? One of my most favorite past-times is people-watching), I think about how awkward it is for the tweens. They are too young to drive and most don't have the usual summer part-time jobs due to this "fantastic" economy. So they end up "malling" -- hanging out with their friends at the mall. Since I have teenagers who are just past the "malling" age, I know what lies ahead for these tweens: car insurance, jobs, college, responsibility, dating-and-then-breaking-up...adulthood.

So all you "mallers" out there...enjoy your friends, the sun, the fountains, and the mall. Go ahead and run through the fountains, waving your arms in the air and laugh, laugh, laugh! Because in a few years if you do it, chances are you'll be hauled away and cited as "disturbing the peace." Enjoy your summer!