The definition and purpose of a fort changes throughout your life. I think that in every stage and definition, there is a sense of secrecy and a fort always has a connotation of a certain home base, a hideout. We can all relate to some point in our teenage years, when a "fort" becomes something of a retreat when we want to escape from our existing world. This hideout for a teenager is essential in the brooding and in the emotional reflection that we are desperately learning to deal with at the time (do we ever really master this?). I know for me it was always my car. I could hideout and control the volume, the temperature, the speed and I felt as if I didn't have to be part of the rest of the world for the time that I was safe in my little VW. I didn't even have to go anywhere, I could just sit and appreciate the perfect isolation.
As an adult, there are far fewer reasons, and even fewer opportunities to retreat to a fort. But I think that we do our best to find tiny times to reflect and "hideout" - be it a weekend away, or more often just a shower.
But as a child... oh to be a child... a fort is not a retreat
from the rest of the world. No, no. A fort to a child, is a creation to
another world. Yes, it can still be a place to be alone with your thoughts, but more often than not, they are thoughts of discovery and invention. A fort for a child is the ultimate place for imagination and creation.
It is where we learn to wonder...
Here are some pictures of Cheyenne's first fort.
(Of course there is the time that there is more fun in the destruction of the fort than the creating... but she'll get there. This is just the beginning...)
I still remember making MY forts as a child, and of course Chris and Meg would sometimes take over the living room creating their own hideaways when they were little. What fun, and what great memories!
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