A Place to Play

Olivia (left) and Maria Luciani play last winter. Impressive snowperson, girls!

By Doug Luciani

President, Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce

"See ya' Mom. I'm riding my bike to the cul-de-sac!" This announcement from my 10-year-old reminded me of the days when I would say to my own mom, "I'll be down at the lot!" We didn't speak in terms of who we were going to meet or what we were going to do, and she didn't ask. We designated a place and the rest was obvious: We would be playing. Playing what and with whom would depend on who showed up and what we were good at or what we felt like. We might just hike around looking for stuff or for adventure. It was good to be a kid. Still is.

Times have changed to fit the sociological cues the world has made necessary in order to keep our kids safe. There are "play dates" and organized sports, clubs, parties and camps. Seems like kids are a lot more on the go and scheduled than we were. Even so, the wonders of our northern home manage to pique their imaginations and the adventurer inside each of them.

One tree becomes a climbing challenge. A group of trees becomes a fort. Any open yard becomes a makeshift baseball field, and any pair of moveable objects is soon a soccer goal. Tennis racquets become guitars, while straight sticks can be anything from swords to wands to make-believe guests. Any body of water becomes an ocean, teeming with exotic species and intrigue.

In our high school yearbook, we seniors listed our favorite quotes. One classmate's favorite was, "The woods are full of everything." Another's was, "School has been canceled today because of snow." Both quotes speak to the wonder of being a kid in northern Michigan where, with a little imagination, all things are possible and no day is wasted.

This is still a great place to "live, work, play and raise a family" as stated in the Chamber of Commerce mission statement. Keeping the "play" in the equation is our genius as a region and our gift to our children and their children to come.