His only mission in life is to play and learn while he’s
playing. His work is his play. That’s the life we all should have! He learned to walk just a couple of months
ago and he continues to delight in every little accomplishment. He loves to walk around holding something his
hand and he does this all day long, just because he can. It doesn’t matter that he’s done this dozens
of times before. Each time is a cause for celebration.
What would my life look like if I celebrated every little
accomplishment so thoroughly? I can see
it now. Hurray, I cooked breakfast! Wow, I went to the grocery store and didn’t
forget anything… let’s pop the champagne cork. Al would think I was crazy I’m sure, my
daughter would roll her eyes, and that lady behind me in the grocery store
checkout would be looking for the security guard. But hey, I think it would feel pretty good
and I’m going to try it.
My cute little grandson eats whenever he wants. He tries any
kind of new food you give him, but if he doesn’t like it, he just spits it out
and moves on. Unfortunately, if a grownup
tried that in a restaurant, people would look at you funny. So, I guess I should use some caution
there. This a very relevant lesson for
me right now because chemotherapy changes the way my food tastes. The other day, I fixed a salad with ranch
dressing. It’s a recipe I make
frequently and it’s one of my favorites.
I put a big ol’ fork full of that salad in my mouth and much to my
surprise, the dressing tasted like weak coffee!
Now I like coffee, but cold coffee on lettuce… not so much. So I just didn’t eat it. (BTW – Al jumped up
and made me some scrambled eggs, which tasted just fine. I have the greatest guy in the world!) I’ve
cut almost all bread and sugar from my diet, but if my stomach feels weird and
all I want is starchy food and bread, the Toddler’s Guide to the Universe says
that’s OK!
Drayton always prioritizes play over all else in his
life. Man, I need to put that lesson to
work in my life. How many times have I failed
to take time to do something fun because I need to finish the laundry, or pay a
bill, or fulfill a request from a family member. Think of the hours and hours of fun and
learning I have missed in favor of doing mundane tasks. While I can’t exactly stop all chores, (let’s
face it, someone else does this little guy’s laundry) I can make “having fun” a
higher priority and let some of those daily chores just wait. The Keebler Elves are not going to show up
and do the laundry for me, so I can rest assured that it will be waiting for me
later, after I’ve taken time to have some fun.
My “little man” is a smile machine. He smiles at the drop of a hat. It doesn’t take an incredibly funny joke or
an extraordinary emotional moment for him to smile. He smiles when he sees a familiar face and he
really smiles when he sees his own face.
He smiles when he hears a song he likes or when he picks up a toy. He smiles when he grabs his toes or when he
sees anything new. On the principle that
the right feelings follow right actions, I’m going to devote myself to smiling
more. If I smile at the drop of a hat,
the positive feelings will follow. Smile!
How on earth do these little ones sleep so soundly? When little Drayton is out, he is dead to the
world. The other day, we took him with
us to a restaurant and he passed out in car just as we drove into the parking
lot. Al picked him up and carried him into
the noisy crowded room. The music, the voices, and the jostling of the crowd
had no effect on him. He stayed draped on Al’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes
and never heard a sound. How does he do that?
I think it’s because he’s tired from all that fun and not tired from
worry or stress. One of my goals is to
sleep like that little angel. I’m using
meditation and guided imagery to help with that, but I still have a lot to
learn. So, if you see me in a restaurant, face down on the table, don’t
worry. I’m not allowed to have alcohol,
so I can’t be drunk. Just be happy for
me, because that means I played all day, have no stress, and I’ve mastered the
art of having a good nap.
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