The race is on!

The contestants are set. The start of the race begins on the sidewalk, the bridge over the stream. They are all there: Chip, Fly, Leaf, Butterfly, Mud, and Thunder Storm.

Ready? Set. GO!

The little fans cheer on from the sidelines, walking alongside the contestants. They wait in anxious anticipation for the results.

"Go Chip!" "Faster leaf!" "Hurry!," they chant

. . . but up ahead we see an obstacle or two. The Ducks. What will happen when their paths cross? Will the ducks ignore their little race? or will they think the contestants are food, ending the race all too soon?

We all wait in suspense.

The moment inching forward.

Coming slowly.

Slower and slower . . . until . . . Chip--the lead--comes by.

Thankfully, and with a sigh of relief, he gets by without a scratch . . . then fly barely sneaks past, luckily unseen as a duck dipped her head in the water in search of food . . . but next we see Leaf, with his wide body and colorful stick adornments on top. The moment has come. He tried to sneak by like the others, but he is spotted! The duck seizes the opportunity and attacks Leaf! Next thing we know Leaf's sticks are strewn about and his body is mangled to pieces. His little fan looks on from the sidelines, ashen faced and distraught.

But the race goes on. It always goes on.

Who knows the end? Who can say what happened to Chip and Thunder Storm and the others? They continue to race down the stream, the children's cheering voices get drowned out as they get further and further away. The race continues even when not in sight.

These days of summer. They used to be so free. They used to last forever. What happened to them? They grow shorter. The time to play outside with your friends and race your boats made of leaves become less frequent. You get caught up in the duties and order of the day. Those days are too easily forgotten, but even though those days get drowned out as they get further and further away, the race still goes on. Life still goes on. Who knows? Someday I may get those carefree summer days back.

{pic via}