Enjoy the Ride

"I have no special talents.  I am only passionately curious." ~Albert Einstein

There are days I am convinced a small miracle, an act of God, divine intervention is needed to exorcise the demons that dwell within my daughter's being. It's a lovable evil. A huggable, kissable, squeezable one. Still, tough to bear when you're a parent, even if it's temporary.

Those days, thankfully, are few and far between.

Most of the time she is meeting or exceeding expectations, shattering any preconceived notions, surprising us with her abilities to learn, to adapt, to attempt.

It was with great pause and nervous anticipation that we brought the peanut to an amusement park called Fantasy Island, a tiny park stuffed with a dozen or so rides

for kids of all ages. My wife wanted to take her on the carousel. And so they went. The peanut selected her steed. She climbed it, straddled it, then rode it with reckless abandon. She was a cowgirl on a steel horse, laughing uncontrollably every time they passed me on the way around. Oh, and she insisted on wearing her shades in the early evening sunlight. Ridiculous.

The fun didn't stop when the merry-go-round did. "Another one!" she'd shout. And we obliged. Next, she and I went buzzing in circles on the bumblebees. We soared through the air, giggling shouting, and waving together. "Again!" she insisted when the ride was over.

So we took her on another one. Those little cars that go in a circle that you can pretend to drive and beep the horn. She loved it. Those were her her favorite. Why? Because "I went on all by myself." She's very proud. Very independent. And very courageous all of a sudden.

We had planned a quick trip to this park before dinner out, fearing she may not like the rides. Well, she proved us wrong. We went back after dinner and did it all again.

What an amazing feeling. To see your child enjoy something so simple the way a child should be enjoying it. To see her laughing so freely. To hear the joy in her voice and see the joy on her face.

It's enough to exorcise even the most stubborn of demons.