Taught by a Tot

There’s a little girl named G. in my life who has already mastered a thing or two about life.

As anyone who has had a toddler knows, we all learn by repetition. Little G. has perfected this so! When G. comes to visit us, she heads to boxes that are familiar, reaches from tippie-toe and dangles her fingers on those “no” items and squeals and belly laughs at the predictable.

Like most adults I know, we too like the familiar. We frequent the same places, order the same menu item and park where we know we won’t forget our cars. (Yes, I am the guiltiest of this last one.)

With age, we know which things are our guilty pleasures, and we too cast our eyes about to see if we’ve been busted! I’ve been told, that the fastest I’ve ever eaten something, was a two scoop cone at the My Favourite Ice Cream Shoppe on a sweltering hot afternoon. 

If you get to the stage as an adult that you can actually recognize what brings you joy and pleasure, we need to keep repeating these things. Bring on the running shoes, the travel map and the camera, the paintbrush, the guitar, the dancing shoes, do it because it makes you smile!

Little G. will be a bigger G. one day soon. She will no longer need two hands to lift the blue ball in the box. She hefts with authority right now, she doesn’t hesitate to put her hands together because some things are worth hoisting. As adults, we too need two hands to lift ourselves and to reach whatever is our goal, two hands to clap, and some days two hands to cover our faces and not show our tears.

Little G. reminds me of this each time we meet. Go with Gusto and have faith, there is always someone around to kiss away that booboo.