THE YEARS BETWEEN 4 and 85

I found myself smack dab in the middle of four generations -- my 4-year-old grandsons, my daughter, my 85-year-old mom and me. 

On our 6-day road trip, the boys delighted in every cow we saw as we passed farms learning about silos and sunflower fields.  Throwing rocks in a river was a competition and trying to touch a duck was hilarious. Sleeping in a hotel was like sleeping in a palace where we tested the softness of the bed and devoured the complimentary breakfast that was surely prepared especially for the two mighty kings that were heading out on their stallions.

I marveled at the boy’s ability to squeal when a lady bug landed in front of them as if it was the most exciting creature they had ever seen.  They delighted in hiking to find pine cones and watching deer run through the woods. 
For them, each moment was a new breath, a new experience, a new lesson in life.

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​My mom clapped her hands when we pulled our car into her driveway.  Her little body disappeared as we circled her in hugs. 

​The boys moved at 4-year-old speed as they told her stories, asked questions and turned the neighborhood park into the Wild Wild West as the spring horses became their saddles and the gravel their dusty trail. 
My mom squealed as if they were the most exciting creatures she had ever seen.
For her, each moment was a new breath, a new experience, a new lesson in life.

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My daughter and I watched this from an interesting vantage point -- the space found somewhere in between 4 and 85.

The space where responsibility rules life and commitments control time.
A space where the magic of a ladybug is lost and imagination is buried under laundry, mortgage payments and stock market swings. 
A space where the wonder of life can be temporarily put on hold while ladders are climbed and ceilings are broken.

I learned my own lessons during this trip and it wasn’t that silos hold corn or that strawberry milk comes from red cows, as my grandsons proclaimed.

I learned the importance of slowing down to allow a lady bug to climb up your arm.
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I learned that trying to touch a duck is hilarious.

I learned that watching your family pull into your driveway is something that deserves applause.
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I learned that the space between 4 and 85 disappears as fast as a dandelion wish and in that space it is more important than ever to understand that each moment is a new breath, a new experience, a new lesson in life.
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Pennie’s Life Lesson: ​
“Live your life as if each moment is a new breath, a new experience, a new lesson in life.”

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 YOUR TURN... 
​My intent in sharing this with you is to encourage you to pay attention to the speed of life and do not let a second slip by! 
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                          Thank you!  
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