Grandpa learned a lesson the other night at the boardwalk with 1/10th of the clan of grandkids. Little Darlin' just turned three, and she was sooo excited to visit the boardwalk with "Grandpa Oso."
Grandpa Oso was pretty excited himself. None of the little ones live in Arizona, and this was a treat.
Little Darlin' was certain that she measured up to that line. She backed up, stood on her tippy toes, and said firmly "Look!"
I didn't remember that the amusement park was this big, or that the Ferris Wheel was this high (140') off the ground. LD braved the Ferris Wheel, and was fascinated by the sights and the sounds, the happy screams of older children on the rides, and she was determined to conquer the Dragon. That's it, there in the lower left of the photo.
You may not remember, but somewhere in the primitive part of your brain, your stomach remembers rides like this one that spin on an eccentric axis, pulling your body one way while your stomach heads sideways on a different course.
What fascinated me that night about my three year old Little Darlin' is how
quickly she adapted to an experience which in other circumstances would have been frightening.
She went through the same phases of learning that I'm going through in this un-nerving real estate ride we're on.
Here's what I saw:
- Self confidence. Look at that first picture up there. The little imp thinks she can do it herself!
- Assessment. From the top of the Ferris Wheel, she picked out the Dragon to conquer.
- Reinforcement. As the first whipping eccentric turn grabbed her, she grabbed my hand.
- Reassessment. Okay, I CAN do this. This isn't so bad. She dropped my hand.
- New self confidence. I can do it myself! Look! Look!!
I'm not as smart as a three year old sometimes! Buy hey! I'm Grandpa Oso, and I have lots of little teachers.
I'm Mike in Tucson, your preferred Tucson, Arizona mortgage lender.
Think of me as your local expert.
Mike,
Very nice!
Bill
Bill,
Wouldn't I know you'd be the first to comment?! Thanks, my friend.
Mike in Tucson
Mike - your granddaughter is darling, and I love her expressions. She is absolutely confident and having a wonderful time. Great post and thanks for sharing!
Awwww. What a cutie pie! I'd love my face to be more 'child-like!' P.S. Like your banner photo.
Thanks for sharing the pictures. Your grand daughter is adorable.
Wow, Mike....
Life is good!
Mike - Looks like a great place. I have been thinking along the same lines while watching our yr-old son learning to walk. Failure is not an option there. You first go unsteadily and hold on to things, you fall, you get up, and soon you will be cruising. I am hoping the same results in real estate! ~ Rita
This is why we so hard...
Great pics Mike!!
Mike,
I think that we all need to have the five traits that you mentioned. If we don't have them we should get help in developing them. Thanks my friend.
Mike, your post brings back some memories. Our daughter has always loved rides. When she was about 2 we went on the Octopus. We got off literally green; her response was "let's go again". It looks like you had a great time.
Great analogies, Mike, and they can't help but generate some smiles.
Mike - Its amazing what we can learn from our children (or grandchildren). Your LD has never learned to make excuses, instead she just goes and does. Besides being very cute, she is also very smart indeed.
thanks for the smiles first thing on a monday morning. it helped quite a bit after seeing the stock market down 500+. really makes you appreciate whats important (kids, grandkids, family) thanks for the uplifting anecdote
Funny- I was just posting (on my outside non-real estatey blog) about a similar thing I witnessed yesterday- the children are willing to experience the new and take the chance on succeeding, where the adults won't attempt a thing, therefore cannot succeed. I have just committed to falling down more often and experienceing that feeling in my stomach.
Little Darling is picture perfect!
Funny how our greatest life's lessons come by way of the little people.
Love it!
Hey, Mike. Looks and sounds like you all had a blast. I cant wait to take Josh to the Carnival. Thanks, Jim
What a sweet lil thing your granddaughter is, Mike. They just wrap their little fingers around your heart and squeeze. And we just love it and them.
Very nice post, love the analogy to our trials in the financial world. Right now is a great time to spend with family and forget Wall Street.
Oh, she IS a little darlin'!! Thank you for sharing your lessons learned with us all- what a bright, brave little girl! You are blessed! And so are we as you pay it forward... Thanks, I needed a pick-me-up!
Always Grateful,
Dianne