Happy Thanksgiving, my friends! I'm so happy we have a holiday dedicated to gratitude. As they say, gratitude makes what we have enough.
Today I have a little story for you that illustrates a key to enjoying not only the holidays but life in general.
The Story of the Boy and the Blue Car
I have a five-year-old grandson son who was practically born with a car in his hand. You could even say he pretty much drove out of his mother's womb. From day one, anything with wheels and a motor were all that mattered to him. One of his very first words was "motorcycle," all four syllables of it (mowergycle, in Hunter-speak).
Recently, I had the chance to watch him and his older sisters when they had a day off of school. Being a wise Nana, I made a trip to Michael's craft store ahead of time to pick up some fun things to pass the time. For the girls, I got fuzzy posters to while away the hours. For Hunter, I got a little car kit with a few pieces to paint and assemble for the two of us to do together. I knew he'd love having the car, but making the car? I was a little concerned about the patience it would take to get to the finished product since there would be waiting time required for the paint to dry and then again for the glue to dry before we could add the stickers and finish it. I banked on his passion for cars and hoped the idea of having a cool race car that he made himself would carry him through.
We all gathered around the kitchen table, the girls happily bringing their colorful creations to life and Hunter and I working on his car. I took the task of painting the smaller pieces and set him on the body of the car. He concentrated intently as he covered the wood (and his fingers) in shiny blue paint.
He observed his work as he painted and said, "It's not perfect."
His statement held no distress; it was almost a question - like there was an implied, "That's okay, right?" that followed.
"It's all right," I told him, "It doesn't have to be perfect. It's yours, and you can make it however you'd like."
He contemplated that for a brief moment then said contentedly, "It doesn't have to be perfect. It's just nice hanging out with you."
I may or may not have gotten a little misty-eyed. Aside from the fact of how sweet it was to hear that from my grandson, mostly I was moved to know that this five-year-old, very active, sometimes crazy, excessively car-loving boy understood that what we were doing wasn't really about the car at all. It was about people.
This Thanksgiving day and all throughout the holiday season may we have the presence of mind and heart to remember it's not about the activities and trappings; it's about the people.