Out of the Mouths of Babes

It didn’t take much coaxing to get my husband to jump in the car and drive over the pass to visit our kids. Even the eight inches of snow dumped on Bend that Friday morning didn’t deter him.

We hadn’t seen our grandchildren in over a month. And pictures and facetime just don’t cut the mustard like a good old-fashioned hug. So with dogs in tow, we headed over the river and through the woods. It took a little longer than usual, traffic, ice, snow. Other people had the same idea apparently.

Undaunted, we packed a lot of fun into a little time. An evening romp in the snow, a hamburger barbecue, updates on six-month-old Marin’s new tricks and six-year-old Uriah’s first days back to real live in person physical school. Yes, we had some catching up to do.

But when Uriah invited me to join him in their hot tub after dinner, I was hesitant. I had finally thawed out after the snow play and was just barely regaining sensation in my toes. It wasn’t the getting in that I was concerned about; it was the getting out. Why exactly would I want to get cold and wet again?

Uriah was relentless. “Come on, Gigi,” he pressed, “It will be fun!”    

Clearly, my idea of fun was different than my grandson’s.

But then again, how can you resist those big brown eyes staring you in the face with wonder and anticipation?

Uriah chattered away as we sat in the 102 degree tub, jetted water massaging our backs. I could get used to this, I thought. He told me all about his new toys, his new puppy, the booger that had built up in his mask the first day back to school. And he explained that this was the first time he had been in the hot tub with all this snow.

For whatever reason and before I could take it back, I found myself daring him to get out of the tub, run across the yard through the snow, lay on his back in the snow,  and then jump back in the tub.

He looked at me with surprise, almost shock that I would come up with such an idea.
“That’s a brand new challenge!” he exclaimed. I could seem him thinking. He had never done that before.

No fear. No hesitation. Only excitement and a sense of adventure. And he was so matter of fact, not worrying if he would do it perfectly. With unshakable confidence he simply was up for giving it a go.

His words and his attitude struck me like a ton of bricks. A brand new challenge. A brand new challenge. I kept repeating in my mind. Yes, any change, goal, resolution could be looked at as a brand new challenge. And like Uriah, the emphasis could be on the process rather than a picture perfect outcome.

What brand new challenges was I up for in 2021?   

Live streaming my own interviews? Creating wellness programs for local small business? Implementing a new tracking platform? Adding a fasting group?

My mind was swirling with ideas and questions and more thoughts when Uriah’s sweet voice brought me back to the present.

“Gigi, Gigi, Let’s do it together!”

2021. A brand new challenge. Let’s do it together!