"The Wonders of Spaghetti"

Spaghetti and children go together like .... um ..... um .... uhh ..... hmmmm.... Oh well, never mind! It's interesting to say the least. For a two year old spaghetti is like ...... a new galaxy to an astronomer, an ancient dig to an archaeologist, a....... a...... a newly discovered, totally flat, dehydrated frog carcase to a house dog who has been let out for his morning stroll!! It's tantalizing! It's totally mesmerizing! It stretches the boundaries of the imagination!! I discovered this when we sat down to a dinner of spaghetti this evening.

Lovey began right away to experiment to see what all it could be used for. During the course of the meal, her spaghetti became ... whiskers, which kept her occupied for a while, worms, which kept her occupied for QUITE a while, string, to tie around the handle of her cup and numerous other items that were mentioned briefly. OH, it also became a sort of musical instrument so that when you hum and pull it up and down over your lips, it changes the sound a little. However, it doesn't last very long when used for this purpose. Of course during the experiments it became known that one could "slurp" a string of spaghetti ..... the longer the string, the better to "slurp"!

OK!! OK!! So I showed her how to do THAT!! I'm still a kid at heart and DON"T TRY TO TELL ME YOU NEVER SLURPED SPAGHETTI!!! It's like a rite of passage! And besides, I wanted her to know how to act when her mother takes her to The Olive Garden to eat out with friends!! Grandkids are SUCH fun!!

I looked at those sparkling brown eyes above those sauce streaked lips and cheeks and I thought ........"OH, YEAH!! This is what grandkids are for!!"

Now, what was it I heard kids could do with green beans.... ?

However, as with most things, the wonder of it all soon began to fade and as Nana attempted to wash her hands and face, (dread chore) THAT became the new game for the moment! As soon as that was accomplished, it was on to the musical floor mat to dance until she couldn't stand up!!

You know .... we adults could learn a lot from kids. For example, Experiment... you never know what an item can be used for. Let your imagination lead you! Create a game out of your most unpleasant chores. Don't dwell on one thing too long. Adults tend to wrestle a problem long after it has surrendered. And don't forget to sing and dance!! Sometimes during the day I will hear Lovey in another room just singing away! Sometimes it is a made up song about something that has caught her attention. Or it may be a verse or so from two or three songs that, in her mind and her world, go together just perfectly!! And it always brings a smile to my face when I walk in a room and see her caught up in some little dance that is just an outflow of her zest for and joy of life!

There is a song that says something like .... "I'm gonna sing, like nobody's listening, love, like I'll never get hurt. I'm gonna dance, dance, dance, like nobody's watching.......

So, "Go ahead! Let that song out!! Nobody's listening!! And if they are .... you might hear them take the harmony part! And go ahead. Take that twirl or do that little two step. Nobody's watching!! And if they are, you might just find you have a partner!

I guess what I'm trying to say is, "Life should be enjoyed.... like a good meal of spaghetti!!!

Blessings to you! And I double dog dare you to sing and dance!!

P.S. The associated picture of Lovey was taken at age 13 months. She is now 2 years, 7 months.