The Swinging Rope Swinging is David's favorite thing to do.
His dad has hung a knotted rope on an old yellowwood tree at the bottom of their front garden.
It floats in the spring breeze,
Flies motionless in the summer heat,
Whirls with autumn leaves,
And swells up in the wet winter months,
All the while remaining a faithful companion to David.
Every day after school,
David rushes to the yellowwood,
Holds tightly onto the dangling rope,
And jumps up to greet his plaited buddy.
Some days his mom pushes him,
Other days he swings himself by rocking his body from side to side.
Holding on with his legs and hands,
David loves to lean his head back and stare up at the tree above as he spins around and around.
He says it is the most amazing feeling.
One day,
David's friends from next door were visiting.
Sebastian,
Mila,
And David played all sorts of games together by the yellowwood.
The rope,
Of course,
Is included in most games.
It is a doorbell for the treehouse,
It is the den during catch,
And it even helps the thieves escape during cops and robbers.
Just before home time,
The children were swinging around just for fun while their moms were chatting nearby.
As the rope spun around in big circles,
Glorious smiles,
Sparkling eyes,
And tinkling laughter filled with the warm summer air.
Then,
Suddenly,
Everything changed.
As the rope moved to Mila for her turn,
David stepped forward and grabbed it.
It's my rope,
He said.
Mila squealed in dismay.
It's my turn.
By now,
The rope had stopped its gentle circulating flow.
It was hanging limply,
Waiting to see what would happen next.
David began pulling himself up the rope,
Holding onto it with all of his might.
He felt as if his old,
Cluttered body was being taken away.
David felt scared.
Give it back to my sister,
Shouted Sebastian,
Taking hold of the rope.
David kicked down at Sebastian's hand.
Time to come in,
Called David's mom.
David slid off the rope.
He was furious.
Horrible words flew out of his mouth.
Let's just breathe,
Said his mom.
While David sat breathing deeply in and out,
Sebastian and Mila had their last swing before going home.
It's not fair,
Moaned David to his mom.
They get to carry on swinging while I have to sit here.
Well,
Why is that?
Asked his mom.
David was silent.
What stopped when you took the rope away,
Asked David's mom.
The rope stopped swinging,
Answered David.
And all mom said was,
Mm-hmm.
The rope is mine,
Said David.
Looking into David's eyes,
His mom whispered,
When I was your age,
My dad told me a secret.
He called it the golden rule of life.
What is it?
Asked David,
His eyes wide with curiosity.
Giving has some magic dust in it.
Because whenever you give,
You receive.
David was quiet.
Then he said,
I will try.
I want to share.
You know,
I like to share,
Mom.
David kept his word and tried to share as much as he could.
Of course,
Sometimes he didn't feel like sharing or receiving.
And his mom explained that this is okay,
Too.
But when David did share,
His world became a joyful place.
Now,
When he plays with his friends,
He keeps the rope moving and knows it will always come back to him.
