It was in the mall as I walked from one end to the other trying to ratchet up my ten thousand steps a day. This is the goal the American Heart Association considers the number of steps all of us should strive for. The people in the information booth told me that four circles around the mall equals one full mile of walking at the Short Hills Mall: a mile is generally 10,000 steps. They don’t tell you how much time it takes to walk around the mall one full time, but window shopping or stopping to buy something wonderful, even something on sale, does not count as added numbers of steps.
In front of me on my quest for ten thousand steps was a young woman with her two young daughters. The older girl was about eight with no obvious signs of strange behaviors. Her younger sister, though, was channeling Tigger from “Winnie the Pooh”. She bounced along, keeping pace with her mother and sister, her feet barely touching the ground. And she kept on bouncing all the time they were ahead of me, which was right before they turned into the store.
Her bouncing immediately brought to my mind Tigger’s song in the Disney movie “Winnie the Pooh,” sung by the Tigger character:
“The wonderful thing about Tiggers, is tiggers are wonderful things,
Their Tops are made out of rubber, Their bottoms are made out of springs.”
Tigger gleefully sang this song as he bounced along through the forest with his animal friends and one human friend, Christopher Robin, dancing and bouncing along the path with him.
That was how the four year old girl at the mall advanced through the mall: she bounced. I doubt whether a happier little creature ever traversed the area, missing the ground by inches per step.
I have noticed children three or four years old skipping along, accompanied by regularly, ordinarily paced adults walking beside them.
Skipping, bouncing and jumping: style of transportation used by the “recently learned to walk” set. Where is the turn-off button for this fast paced conveyance called a partially grown young human child?
MorristownMemos 
Comments on: "THEY’RE BOUNCY, FLOUNCY, FUNN, FUNN, FUNN" (10)
Just let them keep bouncing as long as possible. Tigger had the bouncing part down well.
It came natural to Tigger!
This is so true! Little kids rarely, if ever, walk. They run, hop, skip, jump. And it’s great to watch, but sad that it doesn’t continue for longer. Love your blog!
You’re right! I couldn’t take my eyes off that little girl and her joyful path through the mall. Such happiness was wonderful to see.
Maybe I will try that skipping bouncing thing even though I am well into my dotage. Perhaps it will revive the joy of youth. Thanks for sharing such a happy interpretation of life. 🙂
You’d feel so happy simply watching such fun as a child making her way as she looked for her store of choice. She probably made everyone in that store feel energized.
Fun to watch little ones get around.
They have no idea how cute they are!
I’d bounce around the mall too if I thought my knees could handle it. Think of all the extra calories I’d burn. 😉
If you ever decide to try bouncing around the mall please send a post so your followers could see that feat!