On We Go to 2020
Featured in the Dayton Daily News
They say hindsight is 20/20. And it’s true; but perhaps as we move into the actual year of 2020, we can have some foresight as well. Learning from the past is a good thing, but sometimes it takes a winter chill to remind us that we really know more than we think we do.
For example, a few weeks ago my husband and I took our two grandchildren to the holiday light display at the Washington Township Recreation Center. It was cold, but apparently neither of us were paying attention. My daughter-in-law suggested we put her double stroller in the back of our car for her 3 and 1 ½ year old little ones, but we shrugged her advice. “We’ll be fine,” we told her as she threw in a fleece blanket onto my lap. “It’s more fun to carry them,” we shouted as we turned the corner towards building memories. All of us were too excited to realize it wasn’t October any more.
Joining young families as we walked the winter wonderland was interesting. At first, we fought the chill with tighter grips on the little legs that encircled our waists, hoping the radiant warmth could ward off the expanding chill. It took a nanosecond to realize my husband and I were unprepared. So many other children were snuggled in their strollers with hats, gloves and blankets tucked around their warm little bodies pushed by relaxed parents who, too, were bundled. And here we were, constantly pulling our grandkids’ wrinkled pant legs down to cover their exposed skin. Thank goodness for the fleece blanket that came in quite handy. I tried to shift my grandson so that his body weight rested on my hip, but then I found myself almost dislocating my other hip. Finally, my husband and I looked at each other realizing we were in the middle of rookie-like mistake. Didn’t we learn anything after raising 4 children? We decided rather quickly to forgo the lights for ice cream.
Our latest grandparent experience left its imprint as I turn towards 2020. I don’t know about you, but I admire those who always have an umbrella in their car, have extra toothbrushes for unexpected guests, or have that 20% coupon folded in their wallet just in case. Preparedness is an instinct for some. I’m pretty self-accepting, but I don’t think I inherited that gene.
But here we are welcoming the year 2020. For me, I’m accepting the challenge. Foresight is valuable. I’m hoping at the end of this year I’ll be able to list the ways I showed up prepared. Blankets, strollers, and coupons are important, but I also realize that joy and lingering happiness come in the form of moments that have nothing to do with umbrellas or extra battery supplies. Even though my grandson’s embrace gave new definition to body alignment, we giggled our way through light formations; igniting the expansion of imagination and wonder. My husband became lost amidst the comfort his arms provided our granddaughter. She needed his grand-paternal reassurance while navigating the sensory marvel of a billion lights. The experience left a glow for both of us despite the chill.
2020 is now upon us with a whole new palate of experiences awaiting. A new decade feels ominous with expectation and unknown. I’ll need to remind myself of all the lessons I’ve already learned in the past decade, but I also need to remember that experiencing delight as if for the first time is also has its benefit. Serendipity is fleeting and rests on our doorstep for only an instant; or for me recently, on my hip. Happy New Year everyone. May we all be prepared to expand not only our scout readiness kits, but our hearts as well.