Zombie Children

Have you ever had kind of a bummer day/week/month and you pray for peace and know everything is going to be okay and you just are kind of settled, but you really haven't had a good laugh in awhile, so even the simplest things make you giggle? Well, it's not been the best week, but it's Friday and I finally gave up and was like, "God, you're in control. You've got this...make me chill out." And He did. And I was running an errand a little bit earlier and on my way back home, I passed by the middle school and the kids were out in the field. It's a fairly large field. It's balmy, it's sunny, it's a great day outside. As I'm driving by slowly, I see a guy (teacher) with an umbrella standing in the middle of the field. I'm like...is it raining? No, it's magnificently bright outside. So, he just looks dumb. Then I flash back to my pre-teen years and remember all of the silly little groups kids fall into....you remember. I could count a dozen different groups. Mostly it was girl and guy groups...you know they don't mix much at that age. The opposite sex has germs or whatever. And they're all just walking around...girls like, "Nah ah....shut up. Oh mah gah and then she was like...shut up...nah ah...are you fah real? She's so like ah...whatever. And then he called and was like shut up, are you serious? I know, right." And as always, their hand movements are an integral part of their conversation. And the boys were like, "Duuuude, my dad let me hold the chainsaw. It was so cool. I totally ate a worm yesterday and Veronica started screaming. Girls are so dumb, dude. Dude, I know. Let's go throw mud on them." A few of the kids were walking by themselves...not wishing to be included in the frivolous palaver of their peers...those few will be our future philanthropists, entrepreneurs and generally smart people. 

Then, I realized that the children were ALL walking. Nobody was sitting down. I remember at recess, a group of us would get together and sit down and play M.A.S.H. or the telephone game. But these kids were all walking...in an organized fashion...in a counter-clockwise circle...staying within the invisible boundary enforced by four orange cones that formed a perfect square. It was like the teacher with the ridiculous umbrella had taken the dog out for a walk...except he took out 60 middle school kids for a walk. That's what they do with horses to exercise them...it was as if each child had an unseen harness and rope attached to a stake in the middle of the square and they were monotonously circling...like zombie children. Ooooh, let's hope not, because we only have enough ammunition to take out maybe 50 zombies...not 60. So, were they out for recess or do they regularly exercise the kids at intervals during the day? I don't know, but it was funny. Yes, I know that's not pee in your pants funny, but you had to see it. It made me laugh out loud. And it felt good to laugh...even if it was at a group of middle school kids, imprisoned by the "unfairness" of having to go to school. Just wait, kids...soon enough you'll be done with school forever and then you'll have to get a job. 

And yes, all of this happened within the 5 second period it took for me to pass the school. The end.