SOAPBUBBLE

 SOAPBUBBLE

sitting on the sidewalk

Of straw and mug

dublin dublin

I saw a little boy

dublin dublin

make a ball

doublec doublec

Soapbubble

(Adilson Azevedo / Orlan Divo)

In the sixties/seventies there were several musical groups disputing the preference of the general public. Among these, there was a group called "Trio Ternura". Formed by three brothers, with a soft voice and simply delicious to hear, they were successful while performing. One of their biggest hits was, without a doubt, the song BR 3 where they sang alongside Tony Tornado at FIC, in Maracanãzinho. But of course, I didn't come here to talk about this musical group or any other, but rather about the memories that the songs of yesteryear bring to mind... and for that reason, although BR 3 is the group's greatest success, I chose a simpler song... I would say even more childish... "soap ball".

Who never, in their childhood, played with a can of water and a straw, spending hours and hours blowing the balls that formed and watching the direction they took with the wind, until they disappeared as if by magic? I think everyone has played like this... it's one of the most enjoyable childhood games. It just isn't very nice when, instead of exhaling, the child inhales the mixture of soap and water... wow, it's just horrible... but that's an accident that hardly happens, it happens from time to time, and the child becomes smarter, managing to prevent the same thing from happening again. It might happen, but it's very rare...

When I was a kid... that was a while ago... this was my favorite game. We would gather in a group of children, some would blow the mixture to expel the air bubbles and the others would run after them, to pop them as they floated in the air. It was just a joy. Of course there were other games... hopscotch, jumping rope, blind goat, wheel... and we had fun with all the games. And all of them were team games, very few were to be played alone. You can't play hide-and-seek (today they call it hide-and-seek) or tag alone, can you? Playing around was very enjoyable. The children held hands, usually alternating a boy and a girl, a girl was in the middle of the circle and they began to sing those songs, while they circled around the child in the center. "Crab is not a fish", "Itororó", "Linda Rosa" and other songs were sung by the children, who performed the choreographies of each one of them. "Linda Rosa", which was the story of Sleeping Beauty, required the presence of a prince, so all the boys wanted to be chosen so they could wake up the princess with "true love's kiss", as it says in the story... of course that the kiss was usually on the hand or on the forehead... it was rarely on the cheek...

Queimada was another very popular game among children. They used a small ball... usually a tennis ball or baseball, I have no idea how they got one, the important thing is that they always had one available... and while the group dodged, the pitcher or female pitcher was trying to hit someone. And how the ball hurt when it hit us! It really, really burned... another game with the ball was the "fool"... one child stayed in the center and the others passed the ball among themselves, trying to prevent the "fool" from getting his hands on the ball... when she managed to catch it, the child who could not dribble it would go to the center and remain there until he managed to take possession of the ball.

There were variants of the games, some changed names, but basically they were the same... the rules didn't change. For example, "cops and robbers" was basically "catch-up". They only changed a few things, but the essence of the game was the same...

Yes, we can say that our childhood was very pleasant, full of games... not that today's children don't have their games, but it's just that, with time, and with the changes in the physical space itself, it became a little complicated for children. children replicate the fun we so enjoyed. Today, even with all the childish spontaneity, there is no way for children to play like they do in our time. After all, if they live in closed condominiums, they have to look for the space destined for them to play. If they live in houses, backyards usually barely have space to move around, so they are not the most conducive place for games. The street, the scene of entertainment in the past, has become really dangerous, with the ever-increasing number of cars and motorcycles transiting even in places that a short time ago were quiet... not to mention the countless cases of violence that occur at all times. moment... that is, although a child is always a child, and everything in their hands becomes an endless game, today's little ones end up without many options in terms of fun, due to the sheer lack of space for them to let go. Yes, there are some public parks where children could have fun, but adults (always them) don't care about their maintenance.... garbage thrown on the grass is a minor misdemeanor, if we look at what some individuals tend to do in these places. The education of this growing generation is essential, so that our children's children have a place to call "theirs" and have fun, like we had fun when we were little... because unfortunately our children don't have that privilege...

It's seven thirty minutes into this beautiful and wonderful Friday. We are at 21ºC, possibly reaching 30ºC... it can also rain. But rain is something really important in our lives, so welcome rain!

May God bless us all and grant us the most beautiful Friday we've ever had in our lives... stay with God, and see you tomorrow, if He allows it...