I’ve noticed a change in myself these days. When I was an adolescent, I would mark change by a drop in my voice or hair on my chest, but now I mark change by 20-year-old things. For example, I’ve noticed that most of my conversations with the Fillinghams are about APR’s and closings costs. My most recent conversation with my long life best friend Tom, was given to complaining about political policy. And my most recent call to my dad was to ask for instruction on a certain roofing technique. Yes, I am surely on my way to becoming boring.
Every Thursday Lindsay and I go to the Dugans. Lindsay and Betsy work on painting pots to fill orders and then when Robert and I get there, usually around 6:00, we eat dinner and casually lounge around the house for about an hour afterwards. Last night after I got done doing post dinner dishes, I made my way to the TV room. Annie, who I’ve recently started calling “may-wrong” (one of her two middle names) was watching the Princess Diaries. Now I have no particular interest in this movie and It wasn’t that I was tired and needed a break so to speak. So after about a minute of sitting down it had occurred to me why I made my way to the TV room. I really like hanging out with Annie. I don’t know what it is about kids. Probably something like the fact that last night after I finished my water and asked her to go fill it up, she reached into my cup grabbed a piece of ice and handed it to me and said “here, drink this.” She makes me laugh and I genuinely enjoy the life that she radiates. May-wrong is just the type of person you like to be around.
I love my nieces and nephews and always liked kids, but I guess this is the sort of thing that could be entailed in getting older too. When I was in college and before that I thought kids were cute, but didn’t really have the time or patience for them. I guess that changes when you get older.
9 comments:
This is a wonderful post.
The kind of post that could act as a bridge to another post about children and the Carney's?
sorry, no apostrophe was needed on Carneys. i typed in haste.
Craig,
I'm probably the last guy that is going to pick up on your grammatical errors.
Carney, today I went to lunch with my mom and sister, and there was a little girl sitting at the table next to us...she skipped on over, and asked me if she could try my pizza...it made my day...she was the cutest ever!
Meirong's favorite phrase these days is "I joked you!" Of course this verbed tense of joke is the perfect fit for her. She's a verb, an action, in motion, a mode of being. And, man, does she love her uncle J-Train.
In Chinese "Meirong" (pronounced "May-zhrong"), and we're not exactly certain of the definition, but it has something to do with beautiful, pleasing and, in Chinese, it's a verb.
Nice Carn-Dawg. I was really relating to you and what you were saying until you started in with this whole business about signs of maturity and becoming aged. I read this the opposite way... comfort level in interacting with children has to be due to being so like the children. See-- I hang out with kids because I'm a lot like them, I fart out loud a lot. I laugh at boogers, and I like to kill the time by drinking koolade.
This post makes me miss so many things in Waco.
http://www.ted.com
I know this is a site you'll love.
Other things to love about kids as demonstrated by your adoring niece, Wookie. (Especially good reminders for me, her mom, on a temper tantrum filled day like today.)
1. If she's crabby at you before she takes a nap, she doesn't remember to be that way after she wakes up. She greets you with a smile and has no idea that she was mad at you earlier in the day for not letting her get the double cart at Rainbow or not letting her climb up the ladders at Home Depot.
2. If she makes a mistake, spills something, pees on the floor instead of the potty, knocks over a plant, etc., she runs to us and says "uh-oh" and pulls you to the scene of the crime. Whether intentional or not, the "uh-ohs" fly so freely at our house and I know that won't always be the case. Human nature changes that.
What my daughter teaches me is so similar to what God wants me to know as well.
1. Don't let the sun go down on your anger. It's just not worth it.
2. When you make a mistake, don't hide from God. Go to Him and tell Him your "uh-oh".
Now if we could only be more like Wookie.
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