Simon has lots of plans for when he’s a grown-up, and they aren’t the dreams of blasting off into space, digging up dinosaur bones, or driving a racing car that I would have expected. Not yet, anyway. Nope, his dreams are a bit more prosaic at present.
“When I’m a grown-up,” he tells me, “I’m going to drive you to school and then come home and work.”
Substitute “elder day out” for “school,” and I think this dream is likely to come true.
There’s also:
“One day, when I’m a grown-up, I’m going to have a cat named TJ. And another cat named Tristan. And I’ll go to Target and get a cage… a carrier? … and I’ll drive them to the dentist, to Dr. Shellie, to have their teeth cleaned. They’ll lie down on the chair, and Miss. Barb will clean their teeth. Then I’ll drive them home.”
I especially love that one, as it demonstrates his understanding that “cage” is not quite the nice word we like to use, even if it’s accurate. It also endearingly demonstrates his misunderstanding that the kitty dentist is just like the pediatric dentist. He’d be so upset to learn that Tristan didn’t get to put on sunglasses or choose a toy when he had his teeth cleaned! (He’d be even more upset to learn that Tristan came home with two fewer teeth than he started the day with.)
But what I love most is that Simon seems to be in synch with our rather mundane, homebody lives. Whether a product of temperament or his limited understanding of the world, at this moment nothing is more thrilling to him than being an active member of the household. He thrills at trips to the hardware store with Matt, to the grocery with either one of us, and to the coffee shop whenever he can. He loves to feed the cats, water the plants, and help make his meals. Few things bring him the joy that carrying dishes into the kitchen, brushing his teeth, or helping me sort laundry do.
Yup. At this moment, Simon can’t imagine anything more exciting than being us, which goes a long way towards reminding us about how lucky we are in our daily lives.