"Summertime," that iconic hit by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, came out right as I was graduating from high school and going off to college. It was, as the kids might now say, a bop, and the fact that the lyrics were about a typical childhood day in Philly only cemented for me that where I was heading off to school would be a super cool place. Needless to say, it remains a favorite and significant song in my life.
Fast forward (gulp) 30 years and I've got a young one whose life is like that music video. This past weekend I met up with some co-workers at Dilworth Park in the middle of downtown. With the mask restriction having just been lifted and the weather finally breaking after alternating between oppressive heat and torrential rain, it seemed like the whole city was there, bopping to the DJ and having a good ol' time.
But Asher was living his best life even before we got there. It's only an eight-minute walk from our house to the subway station that takes us to the heart of Center City. Yet during that time, he managed to run into one set of friends at the local dojo and make a second set of friends instantaneously in a bounce house that had been set up for a block party.
Of course, the main attraction was hanging out at Dilworth Park. While I caught up with co-workers (most who I hadn't seen in months and our three newest hires who I'd never met in person), Asher had stripped down to his swimsuit and was frolicking in the water features, making fast friends with anyone willing to get wet along with him. Then he'd retire to a nook next to the roller skating rink to nosh on chicken tenders while people-watching. Then it was back into the water with his bucket and a smile. And then back to his food.
It was the day after the last day of school and the entirety of summer is stretched out before him. I ought to try composing a rap song about it all. The music video production practically writes itself. Anybody know DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince's phone number?
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