(Click on the song "Into the Mystic" to get a feel on how the mood was set for this entry.)Recently, there have been a few events in my life that have made me think back on things I miss, took advantage of, and wish I had a second chance to experience.
We (my family) buried my paternal grandpop two weeks ago yesterday and my maternal grandmom's health is on a downhill slope, too. I was fortunate enough to have been very close to both sets of my grandparents and I have many memories, great memories, with them. And, though I know we (humans) can't live forever, my grandparents are a chapter in my life that I wish I could share with my husband, my daughter and myself all over again.
It goes back to that age old saying, "I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger." Instead, I wish I could do now what I did when I was younger.
Growing up sometimes sucks - responsibility, failed traditions, and the end of a generation known as "Grandparents."
According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of a Grandparent is: a parent of one's father or mother.
According to those of us who've been fortunate enough to have grandparents we grew up with or were close to, the definition of a Grandparent is:
- true adventurer - one who is not afraid to explore the nasty bugs under the rocks in the garden and smoosh them or scoop them into a plastic cup with a make-shift garden contained in it so we could keep the bug as a pet (who cares, the bug was going home with the kid);
- expert tickler - one who knows the perfect spot on the ribs to tickle effortlessly for hours, even after the grandkid has turned blue and is begging for mercy, but comes back for more;
- candy king/queen - one who knows that I will still eat my dinner even if you feed me desert first; in fact, I might even eat my brussel sprouts in that case (Oh, and mom & dad never have to know about this tradition);
- pesky sibling protector - one who knows it's never the fault of the kid who is crying, especially if his/her sibling is laughing mischievously;
- sensational storytellers - one who has endless accounts of life experiences that range anywhere from walking uphill in the snow both directions to the eleven brothers and sisters they shared a one-room house with to the time they joined the circus and became a trapeze artist;
- total traveler - one who doesn't mind taking the grandkids on long road trips to the aunt's house who lives out in the boondocks or a weekend camping trip or even three blocks down the street to the candy store (reference "candy king/queen" bullet);
- coziest cuddle corner- last but certainly not in the least, one whose arms, legs and over sized belly served perfectly as a corner to cuddle into and fall asleep for hours.
