Yesterday my oldest daughter and my grand daughter flew in from Richmond Va. They will be here a week because my daughters best friend is getting married and my grand daughter is in the wedding. Of our 4 girls this is the one that lives the furthest away, and for some odd reason (with the exception of the one still at home) she is the one we see the most of. Yes, we are a typical American family, all with busy lives and problems making time to spend together, so when we do get a few moments they are usually like "Christmas" morning, filled with excitement and laughter and everyone all talking at once while trying to catch up with one another’s lives, but I stray from my original thoughts here.
I do miss being that "needed" Mom on occasion but thankfully even with them all being adults now they, every now and then make it a point to "need" me. Today I had the pleasure of spending the entire day with my grand daughter who is now 18 months old. Having mastered the skills of running, jumping, screeching and laughing with pure abandon, she enjoys such pure delight in the world around her it is hard to not be affected. Rather than spend the day locked in a Condo, I decided to take her to see the Aquarium in Tampa, and I have to tell you that even though I have seen this place a dozen times, I have never seen it quite like I did today! Holding the hand of this little girl and dashing from tank to tank as we pressed our noses to the glass and gazed in wonder at the creatures on the other side was an adventure like none I have had in a long time. Every new sea creature brought peels of delight as they peered back at us from their world as curious about us as we were about them. We would giggle and laugh and tap on the glass which would send them dashing away in swarms only to return a moment later. From the tiniest of fish to the biggest of sharks each one made our eyes light up, but the best of the adventures was putting out hands in the water and being able to touch what we saw. I am sure we drew some attention with our hand clapping applause when a fish would do a trick, or our dashing from tank to tank to see them all at once but I really didn't care. I was having the time of my life and recording every second of it in my memory.
On the trip home, she was still excited about all she had seen today and for the first 30 minutes she was gazing at the world out the car windows as it passed us by with much the same excitement. Giggles and laughter filled the air as big trucks passed by, and then in the blink of an eye the car grew quiet. I looked back in my rear view mirror and saw that she had finally given into sleep. She was cuddled up as much as possible with her new stuffed sea horse tucked under her chin with a tiny smile on her face. She was at complete peace and it reflected in everything about her. I drove on listening to the "Disney" channel on the radio, and reviewing the day I had just spent with her. It was then that it dawned on me. Today I let myself actually enjoy life on a level I had forgotten existed. Not once did I worry about money, the state of the country, who would win the election, how many illegals there are, the price of gas or a loaf of bread, taxes, politicians, or Wall Street! Some how this tiny little girl had pushed all those things from my head and filled it with such love and enjoyment that nothing else really mattered, and the truth is...nothing really does. I as one person have no ability to change any of those things, yet I allow them to interfere in my life. The only thing I can change is the time and energy I put into my family and my personal life and thanks to this tiny tot I was given that chance to remember that today. Lets face it in 40 years (if I am lucky) all these man made problems will still be around, but if I fail today to make a memory and an impression on my grand daughter as the kind of person I am then no amount of time will ever be enough to correct that. All I have to insure that I am not just taking up space during my stay here on earth is to insure that the family and friends in my life get to know me and not as some "to busy" to be bothered person but as the loving wife, mother, and friend I am. It is that which will carry them through their lives and it is that, that will make my life so much better.
It really is that simple. When you make the choice to put family and friends above all else then you are given the chance to see life as a tiny tot does and feel the excitement each new day brings. What a way to live!
