My Weekend (part the first)

My very good friend* and I headed down to San Diego yesterday for two reasons. First of all, it was my niece’s birthday. And I had a dentist appointment with my father-in-law/ dentist today.

The birthday party was on Sunday. We got her “Heelies”, which are apparently all the rage right now in the 7 – 9 year old female demographic. For those of you not exposed to said demographic, "Heelies" are shoes that have wheels in the heels. The child wearing the Heelies puts his or her weight back on the heel of the shoe and glides effortlessly along, pulled by her aunt or uncle. They may have come from me, but if she ever becomes one of those girls who wheels past me in the mall I’ll trip her in a heartbeat. Damn kids on wheels…

Kids take a lot out of me. Not having any of my own, I haven’t built up an immunity to all of the shouting, running, leaping, and tackling. It’s a blast, yes. But (as my nephew found out) there need to be boundaries. When J is trying to take a nap because the kids have sapped him of all energy, it’s best to leave him alone. Treat J as though he is a hibernating bear…you wouldn’t wake up a hibernating bear, would you? It turns out the hibernating bears have the same affection for naps and the similar reactions when awakened prematurely. Hopefully the color has made it’s way back to his face by now.

As a side note, I am told that I had the whole house in stitches with my naptime snoring. The similarities between J and a hibernating bear just keep coming, don’t they?

The birthday party was a family affair; the birthday girl had her brother and sister present and there was one more family present with an infant and a 2 year old boy. The infant was the most placid infant I’ve ever seen. And the 2 year old? Probably the happiest boy I’d ever seen. He was enthralled with life! It was SOOOO COOL! I hope that attitude stays with him through life and into his teenage years. Everything was exciting and fun for him. Even counting!

Take a second now (I’ll wait for you, it’s ok) and count to 20. If it won’t raise too many eyebrows count out loud for full effect. Was it fun? Not really?

You have nothing in common with this boy.

Now take a second and walk up or down a flight of steps. Do it like you’re two…making sure both feet are on one step before tackling the next one, holding tightly to the railing the whole time. Fun? Not really? Yeah, I know your co-workers are looking at you funny and they’re probably going to avoid you at lunch.

Our 2 year old friend would not understand you. Not having stairs in his house, these things that allow you to defy gravity and escape the confines of a ground-level existence are just about the coolest thing ever.

Seriously, everything was cool with this kid. Having been a somewhat melancholy and thoughtful bugger all my life, I can say that I was more than just a little jealous of his enthusiasm.

My charge to you, fellow bloggers and friends of mine, is to go through your day tomorrow trying to see ordinary objects as new and exciting and wonderful. Like the magic stairs we have in our new office building that move you from one floor to the next without the slightest effort on your part. Or the little magic rooms with buttons that light up and the ability move to different floors.

Sure, it’s dumb and hokey and childish. Just tell anyone who asks that Uncle J gave you permission.

*Yes, my very good friend is my wife. But she doesn’t want to be a central feature of my blog. So I told her I wouldn’t make reference to her here. You can ask her why next time you see her.