Successfully arrived at my destination in Florida, the aforementioned river cottage. I was there to get more new grand-baby time! She was celebrating her six month birthday 🙂 I had been there for her birth (pre-van; drove my Jeep there) and couldn’t wait to get back.
The best thing about the van is you can “live” anywhere. So I set up camp in the driveway and ordered a pop up tent to keep the rain and skeeters away and give me an outdoor living space.
The new grand gave me a whole new purpose and focus in life. I was coming to the realization that one’s career is important, sure, but not THE most important thing in life.
My grandparents were ever-present and a huge influence on my childhood. My grandfather encouraged and supported every hare-brained idea I had. He helped me source wood to build multi-story forts and let them languish for months before telling me they needed to come down (only to be rebuilt grander and sturdier!). He took me to the local lake to test out the boat I built, knowing it would sink but letting me find out the hard way (an important lesson, I think!). He never said the airplane I tried to build would never ever fly – he let me keep experimenting. He built me a zip line in the empty lot next door with his landscaping ropes and pulleys. He built a gymnastics spotting system in his garage (also with a harness, rope and pulley system) and spotted me while I learned to do back flips on the lawn chair cushions spread over the cement of the garage floor.
My grandmother taught me how to properly set a table, keep my elbows off during dinner and drink like a lady (seriously, she made me Pina coladas 😀 ). She taught me to play games, how to grade papers (she was a teacher), how to do macrame, sew and crochet. Knitting didn’t quite catch on. Our guilty pleasure was hot pretzels with fudge when we went to the mall. She took me to the Lincoln Center to see the Nutcracker live and in person. We created beautiful Christmas decorations together (even to this day, I’m surprised by the professional quality of the ones we still have).
I wanted to be that kind of grandparent. One who made the grandchild feel safe, secure, supported and loved. How was I going to accomplish that from 3,000 miles away? She wouldn’t even remember me after sporadic visits.
But, I wasn’t going to worry about that now. I just wanted to enjoy the time I did have.