The other day I was talking with a custodian at one of my schools who was working her last week before retiring. I asked her what her plans were after this graduation. I always give happy graduation cards to those I know who consider it retiring because we never really retire. We simply graduate into one more season.
She told me she was driving up to Atlanta to be with her granddaughter. She was going to be the driver for her granddaughter and her friends to go to the Taylor Swift concert.
This group of girls had ordered her a t-shirt that said The Granny Get Away Car. She was planning to dress up with feathers in her hair and cute jeans with guitar earrings. She told me that her granddaughter offered to buy her a ticket for being the driver, but she quickly declined and I completely understood her reasoning.
There was a time in my life it would have never occurred to me to pass on such a fun event. In fact, I remember many times my mother-in-law would keep the four young boys for Clay and I to go to an event, and I wanted to stay out as long as possible. Cinderella would soon be turning back into a pumpkin changing diapers and scrubbing the bathroom. I remember the excited look on our mother's faces when we would drop them off for them to "get" to babysit.
I have now come full circle and this lady and I shared quite a laugh over her eager joy at dropping off her granddaughter and friends at this amazing concert, returning to her granddaughter's house to soak in a hot bubble bath and watch a good movie curled up on her couch while music blared and girls danced miles away. Then she would hop into her car and drive over to the designated spot to pick them up and drink hot chocolate, listening to all the great fun they had.
Even though it is difficult for a young lady in her 20's or 30's to imagine, there is actually a time when staying home is much more fun. After a long week of work, coming home to a toddler tearing your house apart is quite entertaining and hysterical. Watching them sneak into the pantry and pull out Papa's pot to stand on to dig into the snack bowl is far more enjoyable than a rock concert. Building a tent out of sheets and snuggling up with a flashlight and a stack of books is better than any show at the Saenger.
It also goes to reason that there comes a time in our lives when standing for long periods of time is not great fun and loud noises and cramped crowds of people acting silly is annoying. Yet, a Grandma can still muster the muscle strength to run around beyond a tiny image of the child she once raised while dancing along to Jungle Book like a monkey and playing super hero running after an imaginary villain. There is always plenty of energy for these things and the next morning there are hot patches applied to wash away any lagging soreness. A much more welcomed ache than a hangover and stopped up head from smoke.
"Grandma Fun" can only be packaged up and doled out to the mighty at heart who have danced on the tables and splashed in the waves with laughter and silliness with all the energy youth can muster up. It is fun found in the simple things once unnoticed. The tiny giggles and eyes filled with wonder when grandma becomes the imaginary playmate with unconditional love and unconditional attention. We could never grasp this back as young adults because Grandma Fun is a season we graduate into with well-earned stripes.
