Dear Reader:

Are We There Yet?

“Are we there yet” isn’t just a catchy phrase used in the title of a movie. It is what all kids seem to say when they feel they’ve been in a car long enough to have arrived wherever you are trying to take them. I know it’s a constant refrain from our five year old grandson, Domonic whenever we’re on the way somewhere. He’s been with us for a little more than two weeks now and it’s been the most exhilarating two weeks I can remember.

I have said to friends that we are too old for this, only to realize that we wouldn’t have it any other way. We are already looking forward to having him visit next summer for even more fun and enlightenment. Yes, I said enlightenment. I have learned so much from him – not only about him and the things that are important in the world of a five year old, but about me and my wife.

This past Sunday as we were preparing for a small party we were having for Dom, we both came to the realization that we are way past our prime for dealing with little ones. We were both exhausted before the party started. I mean, worn out! Our hats are off to those grandparents who care for their grands on a regular basis. You are troopers!

Just setting up the backyard with the help of our 16 year old nephew, Isaiah, was more than either of us could handle. But in the end, we found we had the right stuff to get it done and we threw a pretty good little shindig for Dom and about a dozen of his newfound friends.

Another of the things we were reminded of is that kids really don’t care about a lot of pomp and circumstance. They just want to have fun. And to have fun they don’t need a lot. We were hustling trying to get two swimming pools filled, a water slide grounded, the sprinkler set up just right, grills going with food on them, picnic tables and a gazebo assembled and before we knew it, the first kids arrived. And just like that – the fun began.

Domonic and two little boys he had met a few days earlier on the fourth of July were ripping and running through the sprinkler, slipping and doing belly slides on the water slide; jumping into the half-filled pool and in their own world without any worry about how things looked or what was ready. They just wanted to have fun.

It was at that moment that I understood the question, “Are we there yet?” They were there - in funville. It’s a place that kids understand better than us old folks who often think we have to go out of our way to find our Eden or Utopia. We worry and stress ourselves to no end when all we have to do, in many cases, is relax and simply go with the flow.

Are we there yet isn’t about a place, necessarily, it is a state of mind. “There” is wherever you need to be to feel good and accomplished. We can learn this from our kids and grandkids. I know I did. He’s five, but he knows where “there” is and he knows what to do when he gets there…just go with the flow and have a little fun!

More health information is available at Brain Brawn & Body and find out about other healthy events on Healthy Happenings. I invite you to read, learn, enjoy!

 

Eric Von

Publisher/Editor