Well, I am a woman of my word, or I try to be. I wrote in yesterday’s post three proclamations: a) that “just for today” (yesterday!), I would veer off my grandmother topic, and write about food and weight struggles. (refer to yesterday’s post, “Just for Today” …).  b) that I would follow my food program just for the day. c) that I would report back to you  (the readers out there) how I did.

And I can now declare that I have completed the above homework. Yes, yesterday I kept saying to myself: I can’t be a liar. I have to tell the truth, (to X number of followers of this blog).  So since I have said to X number of followers of this blog that JUST FOR TODAY I will do the above three things (and avoid doing many other things – such as eat the trigger foods that cause me to veer off my plan),  I really must complete the assignment. So yay me! I stayed on program. Great.

Now for today, I just need to do it again. No problem. Same thing again. Change the food around a bit (this is Weight Watchers – refer to their link for more info), shake it up, but still stay on program- within points.

And now: Back to my regular topic: the grandmother topic. Just as I promised.

Our walkway toward our home has a skinny ledge leading up to the patio. Our grandsons like to walk along that ledge, putting one foot ahead of the other, and not falling.

Well, someone once told me that when kids can do that balancing act, they are showing signs of their reading readiness. I decided that this was hogwash; it was some helicopter mom’s pseudo-discovery so she can push her own kid into kindergarten a year early. And thus, I choose to ignore that interpretation as it seems too hokey to me.

And instead, I form my own interpretation. (and dare anyone to call it corny or ridiculous!) To my thinking, when the kid puts one foot in front of the other, while holding his hands outward to maintain balance, he is practicing a life skill. The skill of keeping a healthy balance in his life. The trait of staying focused, centered and on task.

Now, you’ve called my bluff; you’re thinking as you read this: Come on! Life skill? Puh-leaze. Do you really have to read meaning into every single activity your grandson plays? All this analyzing is becoming boring, isn’t it?

Yes, it is boring, when we do it well or fairly well. But when we fall off that ledge or trip, it’s not so boring (witness a bloody nose or bruised knee and more).

The other day our kids asked us to watch the grandkids. Now thankfully, our adult kids are very sweet and considerate and never take advantage of my husband and my kindness and goodness. (I’m NOT flattering here – only truth). And thankfully, whether we say yes or no, it really is win-win. The grandkids are so cute (if we say yes), and our couple has other resources most of the time (if we say know).

But whether we say yes or no – sometimes a depressing thought may creep into the minds of some fellow grandma’s (and myself) such as:

“Are we doing too much?”

“We just want to take a vacation from all this grandmothering …”

And that is when BALANCE hopefully comes into play.

Balance means being able to say yes and mean it. Or no, and mean it.

Balance means being able to work really really hard (until we collapse) and then say, “hey, I need a vacation.” Or maybe not even wait until we collapse under the pressure. Balance is holding our arms outward to our side and swaying them up and down, figuring out when we are pushing or pulling too much.

Balance takes a lot of practice.

To think that what  began as a fun exercise in front of a grandmother’s home, turns out to be a lifelong lesson.

At least according to the interpretation of this blogging bubby.