In my whole world right now, nothing brings me more joy than my grand kids. I’ve become one of those grandparents who turn into a five year old when they are around. They bring the simple, childlike view of life front and center. I might need to teach a college course on this. Forget trigonometry, chemistry, and political science! This is much more important in the scheme of a rich life.
I’m not saying, ”Don’t go to medical school and become a brain surgeon.” I just want young people to learn early what a rich life might look like. It’s not always about money.
I didn’t pay a therapist two hundred dollars an hour to pry open my mind to this realization. My husband and I took our granddaughters to an ice cream store and spent nine dollars on ice cream. Yes, nine dollars! Two pumpkin pie ice cream cups with crust, complete with whipped cream and two vanilla cones dipped in multi colored sprinkles were our delight of the day.
The four of us sat on the porch of Sunny Skies Ice Cream store in rocking chairs watching the world go by. The ice cream dripped and sprinkles fell onto their laps, but no one moved to clean up the little messes. This was a “who cares about a little mess day?” The youngest wore her sunglasses upside down and smiled at everyone. The local sheriff arrived with his family and put his sunglasses on to match hers. We’d gone back to the past and now lived in Mayberry. I really like the past.
Our conversations were interrupted by the slurping of ice cream and a buzzing bee. “Pop, this bee is trying to eat my sprinkles. Get rid of him, Pop. You can do it.” A little vote of confidence for the official bee swatter goes a long way.
We sat for about fifteen minutes, rocking gently in our chairs. “We should do this more,” my husband said. I agreed, “We can make this a tradition every time we visit.” The girls continued to lick their sprinkles off their melting cones, oblivious to the fast paced, crazy world out there. “No, I mean at home too,” he grinned. I rocked a little slower and thought, “This is one of those small moments that makes a sweet memory. I’m going to keep this one close.
Pass the sprinkles, please.
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