It seems I have spent a great deal of time blogging about my second son, but not about my other three children. Perhaps that is because, unlike my other kids, my second son (who I'll call JB here) is so fascinating.
Not that my other kids aren't. But my eldest is basically a carbon-copy of myself. He not only looks like me, but he excels in all the same areas I did as a kid, and he struggles in the same areas. The way he thinks mirrors me so well, it is sometimes scary. My third son, while still rather young, is showing signs of being like his oldest brother as well. My daughter...well, at not even two, it is hard to know for sure, though she is most definitely "all girl". She already is more concerned with her clothes, shoes, and dolls than her brothers ever were. (Who am I kidding...her brothers would walk around naked if we let them. Who needs clothes?)
But JB is different. Polar opposites from myself in many ways. He is strong in areas that I'm weak, and vice versa. He is very emotional, feeling things very deeply...things that, to me, are odd things to feel anything about whatsoever! He is highly artistic. Drawing, for him, is like breathing. I don't know if he could survive a day without putting the pen or pencil to paper to draw. Me? Well, I can draw a mean stick-figure if I try really hard.
And JB is stubborn. He gets that from his mother, to be sure. No, really. I'm not stubborn at all. And I better not hear you say otherwise. (So, okay...perhaps I'm a little stubborn...but he gets it mostly from his mother. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.)
Anyhow, the reason I'm bringing this up today is because I learn so much from him. He is like sandpaper. While he rubs me raw sometimes, in the end, I come out a smoother, better man for it. Which brings me to one particular aspect of his life I have an opportunity to learn a thing or two from.
Every few days, it seems like something happens that JB declares, "This is the best day ever!" Now, to make such a statement, you'd think we gave him a bag of candy at an amusement park, where he can eat all of the hot dogs he wants. But it doesn't take that. The smallest thing that, to me, is no big deal, becomes a source of celebration for him.
The other day, my wife told him, "You're ten percent smarter today!" He doesn't even know what "ten percent" means. But this was in honor of him being able to add numbers in his head without the use of his fingers. He was so proud of himself, and soon declared this to be the best day ever.
If only the rest of us could see life that way. Each small accomplishment, each small reward is a opportunity to declare this as the best day ever. Me, I'm glad to have a son who can teach me these things. For that, I must say, this is the best day ever!
