GRASS ROLLING!

I love grass rolling! I know what you’re thinking: Isn’t that illegal? I can’t believe they’re letting someone write about grass rolling! My children don’t like it when I talk about it, and they’re mortified when I actually do it, especially if it’s in public!! But there’s just something about it that I can’t resist. I guess I got hooked at a young age and just can’t kick the habit. I get the urge every time I see a soft, lush-looking meadow or lawn.

The last time I went grass rolling was at Fernwood Nature Center in nearby Buchanan. We took a stroll as a family and came to a section of lawn with the most thick, soft grass you’ve ever seen. It’s especially lush in the spring and sprinkled with tiny blue flowers. It also has a slight slope to it, which is too inviting to resist!

I couldn’t stand it any longer. I said, “Don’t you just want to roll in that grass?” My family got that pleading look in their eyes. It’s the look they get every time I get the urge to do something they don’t want me to do. I decided to be good . . . I would make sure no one was coming before I took the plunge! I looked down the path, both ways, and saw no one. I ran to the top of the slope and laid in the cool grass. It was even better that it looked! I rolled and laughed and had an all around good time!

When I got to the bottom of the slope, I looked up at my family to see if they were still there. To my surprise, they were not only there, but I could see a little sparkle in their eyes. I said, “You want to do it too, don’t you?” I told them I’d watch out for people. (Although secretly I would have enjoyed seeing a few come down the path.) Now, there’s only one thing better than grass rolling . . . it’s getting someone else hooked! I watched my two daughters and my husband as they oohed and ahhhed over how soft the grass was. Then I watched them roll! It was a sight to behold!!

That was a few years ago. The other day the girls and I drove by a beautiful meadow. It was the kind where the grass swayed in the breeze. I said, “Look at that meadow, don’t you just want to roll in it?” My girls begged me not to. “Not here, Mom, right in our own neighborhood!” I have to admit, I thought about pulling the car over and jumping out. Then I remembered that they both can drive.

Sometimes life gets too serious. I think it does us all good to be like children now and then. I want to encourage you to do something you used to love to do. Play in the rain, make mud pies, build a fort out of sheets and eat a picnic lunch in it.

You may even try grass rolling. As far as I know, it’s legal in your state.

Copyright © 2002 Jeanne Wing. All Rights Reserved.