Toys are not just for kids.1 In fact, many adults have a strong tendency to become ?healthily? obsessed with toys?that is of course when they find the right one. My dad for instance loves his guitar. Grated, his guitar is very shiny, and has a nice large, sound-magnifying booster amp that it can be connected to. It even (in my opinion) has a fairly decent sound, but when my dad started referring to it as his second wife, I couldn't help but worry about the inevitable downfall of repressed musicians who have found their calling too late in life.



Then there are these Bluetooth phones that some adults (particularly of the male gender as far as I can tell----I'm thinking of three specific guys already) almost treat these objects, as some sort of power symbol, which if you haven't noticed children do with their toys as well. They keep them in their ears when they go to social events and even to the grocery store. In fact, it's at the grocery store that they manifest a little more bravoure and je ne sais quoi in the frozen foods aisle when they grab their Tostino's in front of the ladies (not that this Bluetooth toy obsession is limited to men). ?Well, it is a phone you say?they have to have it around and the ear is a convenient place to keep it.? ?True,? I admit?you are right, YOU are right, but nevertheless I think there is something about a BlueTooth that fits well in the context of this article, wouldn't you say?

Then there is me. I admit it. I am a fallible toy lover myself, but I certainly didn't realize it until the tp Amsterdam Trampoline came along. Maybe any trampoline would have sufficed but this was the tp Amsterdam trampoline that I got for only $179.00 and which lit up my backyard (figuratively of course) like a neighborly UFO. When I got the tp Amsterdam trampoline I started jumping tentatively?just for 10 minutes or so. I wanted to be out in the fresh air before I went to work and besides, my friend had told me that jumping on a tp Amsterdam trampoline was good for your abs. I jumped and the tp Amsterdam trampoline responded. After a few 10 minute sessions on the tp Amsterdam trampoline they became 15 and then 20 minute sessions and then, old kinetic memories from my childhood trampoline days began to rejoinder. I looked over the fence at the neighbor's houses on both sides. Was I really going to make a fool of myself in front of the neighbors! Was I actually going to do a front flip followed by a round off with a cheerful cheerleader arm throw-out? It seemed a bit quirky'I admit. ?I might even be late for work,? I thought, but I didn't care. I didn't want to resist the call of the tp Amsterdam trampoline. My tp Amsterdam trampoline toy had stolen my heart. It was then that I understand how my tp Amsterdam trampoline was connecting me with the rest of the world. My tp Amsterdam trampoline had been a catalyst for understanding. I understood why my co-workers (again, mostly male) were called time after time by the sirens of the Tac-Ops video game and why Fred next door would delicately wash his boat like a proud father and guard it in his new garage with his new state-of-the-art alarm system that he paid extra for to have it customized to his garage and why my brother will make himself suffer by driving from dealership to dealership test driving cars that he will never likely afford in three lifetimes. Now I think I have a greater understanding. Are we ailing with idolatrous tendencies? Only time and hopefully some renewed discipline will prevail.

In the meantime, I will go bounce on my tp Amsterdam trampoline. After all, there will probably always be a part of ourselves that is open to toys.

1This story, although based on some real facts, has been improved with a healthy dose of fiction. Please accept it as such so we can all rest easy and avoid unnecessary objections.