Day 142 of 365 - Generational Joy

I can remember it clearly, even though it was 32 years ago.  We had been living in a small, boxy bungalow for five years.  While there, our third son was born.  With three growing boys, it was time to find a more spacious home.

A good opportunity became available to us for a more modern home.  We had always lived in old houses so far.  This was going to be a big change, and a very different type of neighborhood too.  But, the price was right, as were the space in the house and the yard.

The house we were looking to purchase was empty, so at some point in the buying process we took our boys with us to see it, before moving day.  They were young enough that the move was not going to be a big upheaval for them.

Our youngest son was just about 19 months old.  One of the first things he did on a visit to the house was scope out the connection of the rooms.  In the bungalow, living room, dining room and kitchen were all in a straight line with bedrooms and bathroom on the opposite side.  There wasn't much room for running around.

In the new space, there were walls and doorways between the arrangement of living room, dining room and kitchen.  Our youngest very quickly realized he could run in circles from room to room.  He lit up, and he was off.  The joy on his face at having the space to do this was priceless.  We knew the house was a hit for him, just based on that!

Now, 32 years later, we have a grandson who is 19 months old.  His father, our eldest son, and his mom recently moved from a tiny condo townhouse to their first home of their own.  The main floor layout of living room, dining room and kitchen is similar.  And, he is also more than thrilled at being able to run in circles from room to room.

Last night his mom posted a priceless video of him, running his circles and pausing to dance his little heart out at a song that came on.  It just melted my heart, and of course I remembered the antics of our youngest at the same age.

This is one of the pleasures of getting older.  Memories from the more distant past connect to current events.  It's very sweet having that generational perspective.

Having material goods to pass on to our kids is nowhere near as valuable as memories like this.  The circle of life keeps going, round and round.

To quote the Joni Mitchell song:  And the seasons, they go round and round.  The painted ponies go up and down. We're captive on the carousel of time.  We can't return, we can only look, behind from where we came.  And go round and round and round in the circle game.


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