Perspective

My grandfather died yesterday. My strong, funny, gentle, intelligent, curious, creative grandfather. I am thankful that I grew up knowing him, that I spent time with him several times a year even though we lived far apart. After his death, this blog
felt kind of silly and pointless for a while until I realized something. I realized that it's not pointless to turn off the television and really BE with each other. Life is short. When I don't have the television on at night, I actually talk to my husband. I learn how his day went. And during the day, instead of parking my daughter in front of the TV, I get to spend my time marveling at her imagination, at how much she really does absorb, at how quickly she is growing up. With the television on, these things get muted. There's too much distraction and my focus and attention are diluted by the pictures and noise on the screen. With no television, I can truly be with my family. I can know them and understand them. Losing my grandfather made me realize that what we're doing isn't just a silly experiment. It's an important quest to make our connections with each other and ourselves deeper and more meaningful. I love you Grampa, and I'll miss you. Thank you for being with me and all us grandkids every chance you got.