What Are You Afraid to Break

In chatting with my granddaughter Keira recently, I was reminded of a few years ago when she and her older sister made the trip from Alaska to Texas to visit me.

She was six at the time. One thing about her, though, had never changed. From the moment Keira took her first breath, she had been a force of nature. Full of light and energy. It is rare air when you are around this child even now. I’ve always thought of her as arriving on earth ready to take on the world. She finds absolute joy in everything she does, from climbing mountains in Alaska to playing a round of Old Maid with her great-aunt in Texas. Even picking out the perfect shade of purple polish for fingers and toes! She isn’t content to just smile; she laughs and giggles in sheer delight.

So, when they first arrived, and this grand-girl of mine was quiet and not her usual exuberant self, I was puzzled. Big sister Skylar had the answer. “She thinks your house is really fancy. She said there’s a lot of stuff she could break, and it worries her.”

Fancy? That took a minute to take in because I don’t think of anything I have as fancy. Precious perhaps because of where many things came from, but there are stacks of books everywhere. Nearly everything I have is a gift or an art piece one of us has made.

The answer? Simple. Keira and I did a tour. We went room by room, and I pointed out things to her, gave them to her to hold, and talked about where they came from. First up was a stained-glass piece made for me by her mother that depicted her and her sister. “My Mom made this? This is me?” Yes, and yes. “My Mom is really talented.”  Indeed, she is.

Then some blown glass pieces her mother made – early works that Lauren didn’t care about but were dear to me. The journey of my daughter, the artist! Keira was now fascinated instead of afraid. Her natural curiosity took over, and the barrage of questions began.  “How did she make this?” “How did those colors get swirled like that?” So off we went to YouTube, and I showed her how it was done. “Wow. My Mom is so cool!”  Indeed, she is.

This time with her was such a life lesson for me. How often do we walk in somewhere and feel intimidated? We think that we need to be careful in case we make a move and it’s wrong. What would happen if we were willing to let our curiosity take reign and become explorers again? What if we could replace fear with fascination like Keira?

Perhaps like her, we’d find out that things are far more interesting than fragile, and new wonders would open our eyes. And maybe, there’s someone in our lives we might also see with new eyes. I sent a young girl back to Alaska with a fresh view of her very talented and cool Mom. Just what Nana’s are supposed to do, I think.

What are you afraid to break? Get curious. Explore. Learn the story. Enjoy life’s creations whenever and wherever you can.