Column: Gosh, I miss growing up in Lexington, North Carolina

I was a child before cell phones, video games and computers were introduced. 

Growing up in Lexington at that time, I thought that was a drawback but little did I know, it actually was a gift to live in a small town with caring neighbors to look out for me. A place where I could safely explore the outside world and develop creative skills. 

Children of today have so many activities and entertainment that is prepackaged and readily available that they seldom invent fun for themselves.

Back when I was growing up, if you wanted to have fun you had to make the fun. 

After reading the book Tom Sawyer and being inspired by Jim and Huckleberry Finn riding a raft down the Mississippi, some friends of mine decided to build a raft for ourselves.

 Without buying anything from Amazon or watching any YouTube videos.

 We just got some rope and chopped down a few trees and laced together a raft then traversed down Abbotts Creek. We used some knot tying that we learned from Boy Scouts and floated down the creek for hours. 

{Photo: Stock}

Later my brother and I learned an important lesson about trying to swim against the current. 

We challenged each other to swim to a sandbar located upstream. Being champion swimmers we thought it would be an easy task, which we later found out was not so easy. 

Both of us learned that water was quite swift and the current tired both of us out, humbling us  as we started swallowing water. 

Thank goodness a good friend saw our predicament and screamed for us to swim with the current downstream and latch on to some of the branches from the overhanging trees of the creek. We did and we were able to get back to safety. 

Currently, people around the world that I meet wonder why I am so creative and care so much for others. I give credit to growing up in Lexington, North Carolina, a town known for BBQ but offers so much more.

I grew up in Arbor Acres not far from the then I-85 highway construction. I remember the North Carolina Department of Transportation graded the highway but took over 10 years to get funding to pave it. In the meantime it became our playground.

 We could ride to Greensboro and back on motorcycles before our parents even knew we were gone. We had epic snowball fights with dozens of kids and even found numerous Indian arrowheads, all over the place. 

Residing in such a great community I learned self reliance, responsibility and creativity. Characteristics that some youth today seldom learn, as they have so many video games, movies and apps constantly holding their attention. 

Another cherished memory that I have is of our trampoline which was perfect for trying out new tricks. One of my younger brothers wanted to do everything that we did. He wanted to learn how to do a one and half somersault so we told him to jump high, tuck his legs into a ball, flip forward and then lay out to land on his stomach. Well, he forgot to let go of his legs and by accident taught us all how to do a double somersault. 

It was amazing that his mistake actually created a new trick for us. 

Those lessons can not be learned while sitting on a phone. 

We should encourage our youth to have a little more structure and to get outside more with free range to explore nature so that they grow and become more creative and skilled. 

There is more to life than just always being cooped up inside all of the time.

 Lexington is still a great place to live, raise kids and teach them valuable lessons that will propel them forward into the future.