So I’m sitting here drinking a cup of Joe at the Warm Puppy Cafe in Santa Rosa. From the large windows of the cafe, I can see the children learning to skate on the ice rink. A little boy in a blue sweatshirt (he seems to be about 6 or 7 years old) catches my eye when he does a whallopolozza of a tummy move right in front of my window. “Ay,” I think. “That must have hurt.” Nah! This little guy has real value. He gets up and starts skating again.

Intrigued, I follow him across the track and count seven falls, seven lifts. Discouraged? Not that I could tell. You are LIVING the old proverb, “If at first you don’t succeed …” You know the rest. We all know the saying, but as we become “big” people, it becomes more difficult for us to recover. Correct?

I was thinking about that child the other day as I cautiously made my way to the floor to play with my 7-month-old granddaughter. I was smart enough to know in advance that it would not “bounce” again. But my goodness! I didn’t think it would be THAT big of a challenge.

The words of my own father in his later years floated back to me. “Too many birthdays” was his overview of the aging experience. Not a bad summary of a life line in the golden years, also clean and unblemished with four letter words.

But then again, those extra birthdays have given me so much more than aches and pains. My children have been transformed in my eyes into warm and generous human beings. I would never have known them that way as adults, not as friends, not as children.

Then, to put frosting on the cake, they got married well and gave me a first-rate son-in-law and a smart, loving daughter-in-law. Not to mention the fun and indescribable joy of four grandchildren.

These extra years have meant so much more to me than “too many birthdays.” I am grateful for every year that the good Lord has given me. The years have graced me with insights into life and love that I never would have had. Hey, if you live long enough, you have to learn SOMETHING.

So when the pains in my knees whine a bit as I pull the old bones off the floor to play with my granddaughter, don’t take my grunting and groaning too seriously. This grandfather is having the time of his life.