What is it to Frolic?
That Little Voice
“When was the last time you frolicked?” I was asked recently.
Well, let’s see. Was it at the age of 9 when my sister and I built a tent with old Army blankets hanging over the clothes line in our backyard? It was a hot summer day in Enid, OK, and we wanted shade, so we draped those worn covers over three strings of wire and sat down thinking we were clever. After about five minutes we were roasting as the cover heated up without a breeze or fresh air reaching us. We decided to do cartwheels outside of the tent, and we frolicked about the yard.
Or, was I frolicking on a church picnic being chased by a cute boy hoping he would catch me while being afraid he would?
Maybe it was frolicking as I played with a five-year-old in a field of red poppies until we both collapsed laughing and enjoying the freedom of abandonment?
It has been years since I experienced the sensation of frolicking. Or perhaps my definition of such a feeling is related to age. Do 81-year-olds frolic?As a younger version of myself I thought the meaning of frolic was to rush, dash, laugh, be excited. Admittedly, I don’t do much rushing or dashing about these days. Does that mean I don’t frolic?
I looked up the explanation and various sources say it means a light-hearted entertainment or occasion; gaiety, merriment, and to play and move about cheerfully, excitedly or energetically.
That means at my over ripened age, I can still frolic and do so often. Who knew? This is great news. I have been enjoying light-hearted merriment for years, moving about cheerfully, not necessarily fast, but with as much energy as I can muster most days.
By changing my definition of frolic I can now subtly note to my friends, I am frolicking as I stumble down the street, or when I smile mindlessly at a mumbled conversation I can’t understand but pretend I do.
Yep, nodding and laughing like I know what is being discussed is the height of my frolicking activities. My delight at faking comprehension is a romp in fantasy, a skip in my imaginary steps, a dance with reality as I think it should be.
I scramble to put the right expression on my face, while running through the options I think are appropriate.
Yes, I frolic a lot these days, mentally if not physically.