A Lunch Full of Good Fortune
Having brunch at my favourite Chinese Food restaurant was sweet beyond the cookie.
My five-month-old grandson came to the restaurant to celebrate our late Mother’s Day brunch. I wondered what he was thinking from the different vantage points as we passed him from person to person. He wasn’t yet able to partake in the food, but he was very much a part of the festivities making this first Mother’s Day for my daughter-in-law her best Mother’s Day yet.
This lunch was full of insight into childhood development, and I reflected on how we use these behaviours now that we’re grown.
While the others ate hot and sour soup, I held Brady in my lap. The little angel almost dipped his fingers into my sweet and sour sauce. His actions reminded me how everything at this age is tactile. It’s a loving trait few of us outgrow.
When I first married, I remember I rented a table at a flea market in my mid-twenties. My former husband and I sold gold bracelets, chains, and charms inside display cases. Rarely was there an onlooker who didn’t place their hands on the glass as they leaned in to see. It seemed that to get the best view; one must also touch it.
Brady clutched a soft book in his tiny hands. When his fingers released, he’d drop it. Then I turned my attention to the rest of us as we perfected our hand-eye coordination while wrestling with chopsticks. Most of us had the coordination down pat, but I struggled with grains of steamed rice. The secret was to add a sticky sauce or switch to a fork when my hunger overrode the fun.
After we finished the food, Brady became tired, but he wasn’t the only one who needed a nap. As I rubbed my full belly and enjoyed a fortune cookie, the server brought us hot towels. All it took was the heat and the lemon scent to bring me an overwhelming sense of calm. If there had been a couch to lie on, I could have easily used it.
The adult company was grand, but more intriguing was my grandson. I don’t see him often enough, so this lunch was a special treat. Watching children experience life reminds me of how fortunate I am. I can grasp what I want and feel immediate gratification, or hold on to my dreams and carry them close to my heart.
This was the first time I was at a restaurant with my grandson, but it won’t be the last. The next time he will sample foods, and I’ll be writing about his first tastes. In the meantime, may all your dreams come true. Whatever they may be.
*Brady is my grandson’s online name.
Here are a couple of short forms for you to enjoy, plus a long form expressing my joy of meeting a writer (turned friend) from Medium.
Pulling all-nighters isn’t what it used to be.
How often should we pay when someone is nice?
What do you get when two writers get together?
Until next time, stay safe and live happily.
What a lovely story! Enjoyed your comparisons. And yes, as soon as I eat, a nap is calling :)