East Durham Tags

Laying in my bed Friday night, I was awakened by the sound of shrieking and screaming. At first, it was just one or two voices, then, there were many. Nearing midnight, it was odd to hear such things. I looked outside of the front window and then went out on the porch to see what all the commotion was about.  No one was in sight. What on earth could be going on? Was I imagining things?  Maybe it was just someone pulling a Friday night trick.  I returned to my bed thinking it must have been some fluke or maybe the sounds of my niece’s cartoons on the TV as she fell asleep.

Then, there it was all over again...screaming and leaves rustling in the yard. The sound of fast feet running back and forth. My neighbor’s huge dog was barking too. As I looked through a different window to get a better view of my backyard, I caught sight of the culprits. Twelve little bodies were running furiously in the backyard. In an intense game of midnight tag, this gang of school kids were having the time of their life.

It turns out that my neighbor Michael was having a birthday party and sleepover for his daughter Amari. Amari needs all the fun she can get before she continues the serious business of riding on the campaign trail for her candidate of choice, Barack Obama. She has been on a multi-state tour in support of the presidential candidate. Papers like the Washington Post and the New York Times have picked up photos of her efforts to sway political opinion. For now though, Amari’s just another East Durham kid relaxing at her birthday party. But even that is an opportunity for Amari. She turned her party into a fundraiser of sorts by deciding to donate all her birthday gifts to charity.

I’m so glad I was woken up to catch such a sweet reminder of how wonderful childhood can be. Those children were out there without a care in the world, and at the same time, caring more about the world than we could imagine. Hopefully, their spirit is contagious...tag you’re it!

Comments

[allen]

I kind of figured it would go this way. The neighborhood I lived in for about 10 years was just like this. We played games of tag, war, football, baseball, pig and other games at night (especially if there was a full moon).

Honestly, I was hoping the house would be some poltergeist or something, haha.

[Melissa Rooney]

Thanks for that uplifting story. I wasn't aware of the world outside my home town until college. It is GREAT to know that there are kids out there right now who already care and know enough to make a difference.

[Emily]

I agree, it's refreshing to hear stories about how the kids of Durham aren't all gang-banging thugs. When we moved to Durham, I was pleasantly surprised to see the neighborhood kids - ranging from 3 to 15 - having bicycle races up and down the street and playing catch in the cul-de-sac. I'm glad that our kids are still able to take the time to be kids.