“Grandpa, do you know everything?”
The question came from an innocent-faced four-year-old in
response to a rather mundane explanation of how a lawnmower works. Nothing
earth shattering, I know, but still intriguing enough to impress a young boy who’d
never heard it before.
I was tempted to tell him that yes, I did indeed know
everything. I resisted the urge. Besides, kids have a way of growing up and
sooner or later, I knew he’d discover the truth. So, somewhat reluctantly, I
admitted I did not know everything.
“But you’re 51,” he said as if that is the magical age where
all knowledge is attained. Then just to clarify, he added, “You should have
learned everything by now.”
“I guess I should have,” I said. “I’ve had plenty of time. But,
sometimes I think the older I get, the less I know.”
My grandson gave me a pitying look. “Yeah, my mom told me
about that.”
“Told you about what?”
“Old people forget things.”
True. So, maybe I DID know everything at one time—and then
forgot it.
I suggested this to my grandson. Deep in thought, he slowly
said, “Probably.” Then pausing for a bit, he added, “Not.”
Apparently, he has lost all confidence in me! I should have
just told him that I knew everything and we could have avoided this whole
thing. ~
No comments:
Post a Comment