Step away with me into another world. One where you are free to explore and let your imagination soar. A world where you are totally caught up in the moment and experience that carefree feeling of flow. The world is your oyster, and you control it. Walk with me through the portal to imagination.
Growing up in the 60’s was a gift that we baby boomers probably do not appreciate enough. It was a time when we lived without fear. Think the movie “Sandlot.” It was a time when moms would shoo kids out of the house, not to return until there was food on the table. I grew up in the country and my siblings and I were feral children roaming the woods behind our house. By anyone else’s standards, it was just an ordinary woods with a creek running through it. But in our eyes, it was magical. Mostly because of the portal to it.
We were not allowed to cross the road to get to the woods behind our house. That was a hard and fast rule, “or else.” And we all knew what “or else” meant. Well, we never actually tested the “or else” threat, so I guess we weren’t exactly sure what it meant, but we knew it wasn’t good. So, instead of risking our lives crossing the road, we were required to go through an old, abandoned cattle chute that traversed underneath the road. Personally, I felt like I was risking my life more every time I entered the dark, damp, cobweb infested, cattle chute than I ever would have by crossing the road. But, as it was intended, “or else” pushed me to obey the rule.
The cattle chute was our gateway to a world of imagination. I am not sure how it ended up being called the cattle chute, other than it was a tunnel that was built under the road years ago so ranchers could herd their cattle through it instead of going over the road. To us, it was a portal to the imagination.
The portal
The cattle chute was a mysterious, dark foreboding tunnel with a small creek running through it. After braving the entrance, we had to jump across to dry patches of ground to prevent getting our feet wet in the creek, while simultaneously avoiding cobwebs draping down from the low ceiling and watching for trolls. I kept my eyes on the light at the end of the tunnel where magic awaited. It was our portal to a fantasy world that only children inhabited.
Once you were transported through the cattle chute you entered a world of freedom. Freedom from adult judgement or restrictions. Freedom from warnings such as “wash your hands after you touch that mushroom,” “stay out of the creek,” and “don’t get mud on your clothes.” While those words of wisdom were shared for our safety and wrapped in a blanket of love, they also made us more cautious. They would curb our curiosity and sense of reckless abandon.
Once through the portal, we were the kings and queens of the woods. We worked out our differences without adults to referee. We imagined, we created, and we experienced life through play. Play is necessary for healthy brain development. It teaches children to problem solve, develop social skills, build emotional resilience, release stress, and expand creativity. We were left to our own devices in our magical world for several hours a day. And while we felt isolated from adult interference, we were really only a holler away from the reminder that it was time to come home and wash up for dinner.

Safety first
Sadly, the cattle chute was filled in years ago when they widened the road above it. Cattle had not tromped through it for many years, and it was just one more thing that was not considered safe anymore. The fact is that our world is not as safe as it was in the 50’s and 60’s. As a result, children lead much more insulated lives now. And a less safe world necessitates more parental involvement. Parents supervise their children at their friend’s birthday parties for fear that the older sibling or neighbor is a bully or creep. Organized sports have taken the place of the sandlot. And while there are many benefits to more parental involvement, I can’t help but feel a little sad that children of today will not know the experience of entering the portal to roam freely for hours in the woods or play out in the neighborhood until the streetlights come on.
Speaking of unsafe. Is it any wonder that we lived through our childhoods? Aside from all of the unsupervised time, how did we keep from cutting ourselves and bleeding to death from a rusty steel Tonka truck? Or burn ourselves up from the Easy Bake Oven? Even more dangerous was the Creepy Crawler machine. I remember going over to a friend’s house and playing with mercury, dumping it from hand to hand. Interesting stuff that is. We lived through it. Now toys are so safe that they fail to spark the imagination.
Portal to an adult’s imagination
As adults, we need to find our own portal to the imagination. We need to find ways to continue to ignite our curiosity and fuel our creativity. Retirement is the perfect time to do this. Just as play is an important part of childhood, it is also important to our emotional balance as adults. It keeps our minds sharp, decreases stress and fosters a sense of happiness and wellbeing. And playing with others helps us build and maintain social connections that will carry us through life. It helps prevent the dreaded social isolation of aging.
No matter what your age, people that do not engage in play are less interesting and fun to be around. They are typically not as happy either. So, let’s find the portal that leads to the imagination and bravely go through it to enjoy the abundance of a playful life on the other side. Just stay away from the mercury.

I grew up with a woods in my backyard as well. My brother and I knew every inch of the creek running through it, and we both had favorite hideouts.
I spent alot of time in “the big maple,” a gigantic maple tree covered in thick fragrant moss, with natural footholds for climbing, and several “floors,” perfect for curling up with a book or hiding from a little brother.
There was a steep hill at the back of the woods, with a deer trail switch-backing through the ferns and sheep sorrel to the top, our “lookout.” From there we could see our house and “spy.”
Thank you for taking me back to those summer days of freedom and imagination in our magical woods.
Lori
Hi Lori –
What is it about woods and water that draws kids like a magnet and ignites their imagination? You paint a beautiful picture of your own childhood portal to the imagination. It makes me want to curl up in that maple tree and read a good book.
Love this account that reminds me of independent days in the pasture & woods. My mom often took her grandsons to explore beneath small bridges in the area & for picnics on the big hill overlooking the house. My 48 yr old son still recalls the “Lord of the Flies” campout he shared with his friends. And I’m thinking of my own granddaughters who went off into the bush behind the house to explore. I refrained from calling out “Watch out for the bears!” knowing they were in calling distance. They soon came back brandishing an old cow bone. I think children have lost an opportunity to develop autonomy & problem solving & time management skills with over-supervision. I’m a firm believer in some play with kids of all ages.
Hi Mona –
A “Lord of the Flies” campout sounds like a blast. Free flow play time outside is so healthy for both children and adults. I know that when I am out in nature, without a restriction on my time, is when my most creative ideas emerge. We need to take time to do that more.
In the early 1940’s I also had lots of places to explore, but mine were down a sprawling bank that seemed unending. There was a trail to our well and another to our root cellar, dark and mysterious place where mom kept fruit and vegetables. No refrigeration in those days.
When I was seven or eight we moved to the next valley and creeks? There were three, and I learned them all! Every inch! One disappeared under a boulder as big as my bedroom and covered in moss. So much to learn by just staring into moss!
Your memories brought back a flood of those times! Thank you.
Hi Lynda –
Your comment just brought back a wonderful memory for me too. My grandparents also had a root cellar, and I remember how excited we were when summoned to get something out of it. “Dark and mysterious” is a perfect description. I recall worrying about snakes and spiders when we went into it. We have a lot of thick green moss around our house. I wonder if my grandkids will remember it fondly. Now I am looking forward to doing a little “moss staring” when spring rolls around!
I LOVE this post! Perhaps because almost every line resonated with me. I, too, had a magical woods where I would play from sunup til sundown. A world of secret forts, streams, frogs, ponds, and countless things to stir a young boy’s imagination. We once dug a 6 x 8′ hole, 4′ deep, covered it with logs and made a fort. I’ve often wondered if anyone ever fell in that hole in the years since (or wondered who was trying to bury a body).
I, too, played with mercury (cool stuff).
As an adult, this line caught me: “A world where you are totally caught up in the moment and experience that carefree feeling of flow.”
As a retiree, I’ve discovered “that world” in writing. A world where I embrace “flow” more freely than anywhere else in love.
Go with the flow. Embrace it.
Live Life.
Oops, “love” should have been “life.” I hope my wife doesn’t read that comment and wonder…haha.
Hi Fritz –
I am glad this post brought up some good memories for you. That was a pretty impressive size hole that you dug! I totally agree, writing frequently transcends me into a state of flow as well. A few hours can go by in no time.
Good to know that you survived playing with mercury as a kid too. 😊
So many memories of running through the cattle shoot with the cousins! 🥹❤️🥲
Hi Melissa –
I am so glad that you are able to harbor memories of the cattle chute as well. Such a fun, mysterious place.
*chute
Although I grew up in a more suburban area, we had an undeveloped hillside fairly close where I and my feral friends would play for hours. Although houses and roads weren’t far away, it wasn’t hard to imagine that we were out in the country.
I wonder sometimes if our neighborhoods really are more dangerous and are there more bad people, or are we just bombarded with “If it bleeds, it leads” news and social media attention grabbers. I have to believe that there are far more good people than bad but, if I had young kids, I don’t know if I’d give them as much freedom as our parents did. Sad.
Now that I’m retired and have lots of free time, I too look for portals to explore and use my imagination. I hope the kids of today are able to find theirs too.
Hi Janis –
Give a kid a tree, some sticks and a blanket and I think they can create magic anywhere. I hope that my grands will have magical memories of the leprechaun house that was nestled into a tree stump just a few steps away from our yard. They will probably remember it as being a mile away. Smile.
And I am totally with you in that I believe most people are good.
This post was so fun to read. It was filled with many great memories and a great message about approaching the retirement years with the same vigor that those memories came from. I like the way you described the cattle chute and the passage through it. That is just the way I remember it.
Hi Janie-
Those were such good memories and are even better because I got to share them with you. Glad I was able to describe it the way you remember it too.