Monday Morning Musings

Posted on July 25, 2016 under Monday Morning Musings with 3 comments

Summer… through the eyes of a child

Grandchildren.

I don’t know about you but any shred of normalcy and discipline go flying out the window in summer, especially if you are entertaining your grandchildren. How come I can walk by the waffle cone ice cream stand ten times a day and not even flinch when we don’t have company but once the small ones arrive, I become a whimpering ice cream addict.

We are in the final week of hosting our 8 year old granddaughter and I have had the pleasure to spend many hours with her and our other two grandchildren.  With all the terrible news that hits us in the face incessantly in the media, it is a joy to shut out these troubles  for short periods of time and remember what it is like to be a child and see the world through their eyes.

I can’t possibly remember everything we did this summer but these stick out: going to the theatre to watch the movie “Finding Dory “ , complete with 3-D glasses and a bag of buttered popcorn; fishing in the brook behind our apartment building; numerous trips to Columbus Field to the water park; hiking through Arisaig Provincial park; mid morning coffee/snack breaks at the Tall and Small; walking through fields of clover; digging tunnels in the sand at Bayfield; chicken fingers and fries – I have discovered that a child can live on these two items almost exclusively!; walking through the “secret path” between our apartment building and Church Street; making arts and crafts; watching our granddaughter make new friends from a war torn country. ( My personal highlight was watching a young Syrian girl playing joyfully on the playground equipment behind the school ); playing with cousins; sitting around the fire pit at the Victorian Inn singing songs ( Puff The Magic Dragon is her favorite ) and roasting marshmallows; strawberries… no explanation required!; hanging out at the Art Fair; the Highland Games Parade; playing board games; walking down Main Street about a thousand times… occasionally with no purpose.

And ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream!

I know I am missing dozens of other things but just being present and in the moment with small children is a joy and a blessing…. and exhausting. It is a trite expression but it is so real. People raise children when they’re young for a very good reason. It takes enormous energy to keep up with them.

This summer will pass too quickly as they always do. The memories will keep us going when the cold winter winds come a calling.

Have a great week.

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