Would you be willing to do something silly if it left a fond memory in the minds of your grandchildren? Apparently I do.
With eight grandchildren under the age of six, any time spent with these bundles of energy and fonts of never-ending questions is always filled with delight. Poppy time is better than a swig of Geritol for my iron-poor blood and tastes better too. And when this Poppy is willing to be a little silly, well, giggles, snuggles, and hugs are sure to abound.
Like at Halloween, when I dressed up as the Hulk complete with make-up and a green haired wig to escort many of my grands on their trick-or-treat rounds. My latest foray into the Poppy Silly Zone occurred this past weekend. My wife, ever sensitive to my moods, realized I was in need to plunge, yet again, into the PSZ. You see, since December 26th when I had surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon, I have been laid up at home. The walls were closing in and she rightly deduced it was time to get out of the house.
With a hard cast on my left foot up to my mid-calf, she had an idea that would boost my spirits. My daughter Maggie became a co-conspirator as they agreed to have a cast party at her home. Other siblings and grandchildren were invited for a Saturday lunch. I realized something was up when my wife Patrice loaded a Zip-Lock bag full of markers……and nail polish.
Arriving at my daughter’s home I was immediately greeted by my grandchildren and soon the questions erupted in a chorus. “Poppy, how did you break your foot?” “What’s a tendon” “Does it hurt?” “Can I ride your scooter?” “Can we play with your crutches?” Soon however, Patrice broke out the markers and the cast signing began. Actually it was more drawing than signing and my cast soon became a multicolored array of various lines, shapes and letters. Some were even decipherable.
Then that scheming woman, aka my wife Patrice, asked my 3 1/2 year old granddaughter if she would like to paint Poppy’s toe nails. A big smile punctuated by giggles was all it took for Patrice to open the bottle of bright red paint. It was so bright I thought it battery powered. Geez.
I took a breath and watched in amazement as this excited munchkin lavished my toe nails with their first ever coat of paint, only to look up into my face proudly giggling at her work of art. Hey, if you are proud of it, why not giggle?
While I ponder how best to leave a legacy of faith and virtue for my grandchildren, I have no doubt, however, that sprinkled about all I do and say must be some good old-fashioned fun. The Cast Party today accomplished that in a bright red hue. All it took was some nail polish and lots of giggles to make a memory worth remembering.
Oops, I need to find my granddaughter, she missed my pinkie toe.
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