How would you like to go up in a swing?

Swing set works for adults, too, in a playground in NE Davenport.

"How would you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh I do think it's the loveliest thing,
Ever a child could do."
-- Robert Louis Stevenson, 1885

My mother, the English major, used to recite that poem when she pushed me on a hand-made swing in the backyard of our home in Edina, Minn.

I thought about that experience recently when taking an exercise walk in Davenport, along the trail that lines Eastern Avenue. Near the trail is a park, and that park includes swings.

One a recent sunny weekday I jumped on one of the swings, and the muscle memory kicked in as I swung into the air with a view to the Eastern Avenue branch of the Davenport Public Library.

"This is happy," I thought to myself, and troubles, worries, melted away.

Energized after several minutes I hopped off and decided to try and find a swing to use on a regular basis, which should be easier now that we have a new granddaughter in the family. When children are little, I believe in exposing them to lots of activities, including in parks and with play equipment.

Swings trace back to ancient times, when pictures of these toys were found in cave drawings, according to the National Toy Hall of Fame, online at toyhalloffame.org. Swing sets grew in popularity in the 19th Century (note the publication date of R.L. Stevenson's poem), and in the early 1900s, playgrounds came into fashion.

My family's wooden swing seat strung off a branch with a rope, crafted by Dad. This was common in the 1950s and 60s, but public concern about children's safety grew in the 1970s and swings became styled for different age groups.

Today, the new Davenport playground had mulch on the ground, several swings for babies and toddlers, as well as a couple for older children (or adults!). The seats are made of formed plastic or a rubber product.

Swinging requires physical exertion, coordinated movement and an understanding of gravity, kinetic energy and inertia, the toy museum explained.

It's also an affordable way to clear the mind ... Swinging beats a therapist's couch any day!