The crack in the sidewalk

this morning, I went garage sale-ing in one of my favorite neighborhoods, Brentwood.  It’s an older neighborhood with large, beautiful trees throughout.  As I walked, enjoying the sunshine and just feeling happy, I saw a wonderful, big crack in the sidewalk.  You know the ones – one section has ended and the line strating the new section has raised about an inch or so.  I just smiled, thinking, “what a great bump!”  I smiled because of the soft feeling of nostalgia.  I remember when I was 6 years old and we moved to our house on the corner of Euclid and Colerick, here in Fort Wayne.  It was a great house, bigger than our apartment, and it had this long sidewalk that went from our corner all the way to Eckart St. 

The first day we moved in, I needed to try out that sidewalk with my roller skates (Yep, metal, clip on your shoes.)  I still recall that grinding repetition of metal against concrete.  I skated beyond our house, then the house next door, and then – the big crack!  It didn’t go all the way across the sidewalk, just one corner, raised high.  I hated that protrusion that either made me slow down, or gave me a trip.

Today, I smiled, remembering that crack, remembering a wonderful old neighborhood and knowing I don’t hate that bump.  That crack is an old friend from way back when.