Grandma's Excellent Adventure | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: Grandma's Excellent Adventure | Previous Challenge Entry
By LINDA GERMAIN
10/30/11
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It took a lot of talking to convince Grandma Josie to get a cell phone. She claimed she was too busy delivering food to shut-ins, making blankets for the homeless and canning vegetables from her large garden. When I presented her with the palm-sized gift with extra big numbers and free service for six months, she was willing to give it a try.

“Where are you?” I asked when she answered one cold and rainy day. I supposed she’d be curled up in front of her cozy fire at home with Jake, her big dog, at her feet. How silly. What was I thinking?

She sounded a little breathless. “Hello, Dear. Right now I’m hurrying to the Senior Center to teach a class in self-defense. Let me call you back.”

Click. The line went dead.

Since Grandpa passed away she had been going full tilt in every direction. For all I knew she was physically strong, but a woman of her age zipping from one thing to the next, seemed destined to suffer any number of adversities. I felt compelled to slow her down, if only a little. It finally occurred to me how to do that.

I called her back in a few hours. She said she was putting on the kettle for tea.

“Grandma Josie, what do you know about computers?”

I could hear dishes rattling. That meant she was busy with other chores while she chatted.

“Well, Sweetie, after I took that course in keyboard basics at the Center, I’ve been meaning to get one but just haven’t had time. I’m sure I’d love it.”

I couldn’t wait to give her the extra laptop I had acquired. “Sit tight, I’m coming over.”

After the necessary business of connection to a service and a few explanations, I told her she would really enjoy blogging. She looked a little skeptical, but didn’t say much.

I mentioned it a couple of more time and she assured me they had a class for that at the Senior Center and she would sign up as soon as possible. She had more friends than anyone I knew. Maybe that’s why she seemed a little perplexed at my reasoning that she could meet new people.

As the weeks went by, on the rare occasions she answered the cell phone, she would give me a report.

“Oh yes, Honey…I am enjoying the class immensely. You were right. I’ve met so many nice folks, and I’m even losing weight and my blood pressure is nearly perfect.”

I was puzzled by that statement. Maybe she was blogging so much she was forgetting to eat.

I was surprised the day she called to invite me to the little graduation thing they were having for her class. I guess learning to blog was a big deal with the 70-somethings.

When I arrived, the all purpose room with the small stage was filling up fast with excited family and friends. I felt there was something about this she had not told me.

The house lights dimmed and the stage lights came up. Happy, energetic music blasted from a speaker. It sounded like a herd of elephants had been let loose as ten tapping couples in brightly colored outfits whirled out on stage in an amazing display of footwork and swish.

There was a handsome man with white hair stepping lively and hanging on to my Grandma Josie. She was wearing a red dress. Underneath was a big fancy slip made out of some kind of poufy material. She even had a matching bow in her hair. If any flies had been around they would have landed right in my gaping mouth.

My brain kept saying, “What? What?”

Then I remembered the exception to her excellent health. She had a slight hearing problem. That was why the cutest grandma in the world, in trying to please her doting grandchild, had taken up clogging.

After I stopped laughing, I realized what a blessing this was. Anybody can sit in a chair and blog all day, but the choice to get up and dance is good for your heart.

She couldn’t wait to learn a new routine for the group’s exhibition coming up next week. I, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to get home and log on to tell all my cyber friends about her clogging instead of blogging.

The moral: clomping and stomping with friends can be infinitely more invigorating than sitting and writing about it. Grandma Josie proved it.

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