Where did I put glasses?

My mother knew how to grow old gracefully. She never tried to look ‘young’, but she was always youthful. She laughed a lot, played silly games with her grandchildren, and seemed to have great stores of energy.

Of course, she was also of a generation who didn’t share all of the anxiety they might be feeling or complain about aches and pains, so being fairly myopic as all children are regardless of age, I always just assumed that everything was hunky-dory.

Well, now that I am moving past middle age I have the distinct feeling that Mother just hid a lot of things well. I do not. I have questions and I have complaints and I don't feel particularly graceful.

I want to know why a hair can sprout on my chin and grow to an impressive length overnight when it takes four months for a bad haircut to grow out.

I want to know exactly why no one ever told me that pulling on a pair of sweatpants would one day become an Olympic sport of sorts, a task best achieved while sitting down because balance is one of the first things to go, even if you don’t keep catching a toe on the waistband and trip.

I want to know why sleep has become such a hit or miss project. There was a time that a sleepless night was an occasional occurrence. Now it’s the reverse. I have mastered many of the sleep-inducing little games. I can list all fifty states in my head, count backward from 100 and get to 0, name a country, a famous person born before 1900, or a car for each letter of the alphabet and still find myself making soup and coffee cake at three in the morning.

Of course, the whole memory thing is something else again. I used the word ‘myopic’ a few sentences ago. It took me ten minutes searching my ever shrinking brain trying to come up with it and finally had to ask my husband who got it right away. Quelle surprise! How about that - French I can remember.

And that joke about glasses being on someone’s head while they look for them? Not so very funny anymore. If you see an older person patting themselves down don’t assume that he or she has lost his or her mind. He or she is probably just looking for a pair of specs.

 

Getting old isn't all bad. It's just so surprising!

 

 

 

 

 

A Butterfly Adventure

This week I have the honor of presenting my granddaughter's first foray into the world of writing. Sophia is all of seven years old, but already has a vivid imagination and a way with words. I hope you will enjoy this story of the origin of Butterfly Girl.

A Butterfly Adventure

Once upon a time there lived a butterfly named Fly. Fly was just flying around when suddenly she was caught in a net by a man! The man took the butterfly to his home and the next day when Fly woke up she was in a box! She looked around and sure enough there were butterflies flying everywhere and there were some on the bottom of the box sleeping.

 

Fly was unlucky. She hurt her wing. Fly cried and cried. Then another butterfly came over and helped Fly. She said that they were sailing away to New York and she was right. A few hours later they got to New York. Gulp!

 

The butterflies were taken to a park and released into New York. It was ok, but they wanted to go home. So they flew off and headed back to the dock. But just then they flew into someone! And the person was named Sophia. Sophia was a nice little girl (her mother calls her Phia, her dad calls her Schmoogins). Fly had a secret. She had magical powers. She told Sophia. After that Sophia agreed to help them get home.

 

Soon they ran into someone. Her name was Arleen. Arleen was on her way to work. She worked at a coal factory. Sophia and Arleen talked a little bit. Then Sophia and the butterflies kept on going. But at the coal factory there was an explosion turning Arleen in to Fireface!!

 

Meanwhile Sophia and the butterflies were headed for the dock. Fireface chased after them. Soon Sophia noticed that they were being chased and started running. But just then Fireface caught up with them! Sophia realized Fireface was Arleen.

 

Fireface threw a fireball at them. Sophia dodged it. Then it was a true emergency and Fly gave her powers to Sophia and fell! Sophia flew into the air and used her new powers to get rid of Fireface. Then Sophia and the butterflies looked at Fly on the ground. She was alive, but she did not move. Sophia picked her up and put her in a case. Then they headed for the dock.

 

Soon they caught a boat home and lived happily ever after.