Thoughtful six-year-old Grayson Ludlow popped his little blond head out on the porch, and, seeing that there was no one there, went out and sat down on the front steps to think.
Eight-year-old Gracie Trent next door saw him there 20 minutes later and came to see what he was thinking about.
“I heard that people were taking all the problems from Covid – I think it's 19 problems or something – and they are being kicked down the road. I think that's a good idea, actually.”
Gracie considered this.
“Well, it gets the problems away from the house,” she said, “but we need to add one more thing. Let me see if I have a small box.”
Gracie went through the recycling at her house and found a small match box, an act that got her father's attention.
Capt. R.E. Ludlow got a text from the sergeant ten minutes later: “This is Alpha paging Bravo. This is Alpha paging Bravo. Anti-Covid-19 action taking place imminently on our front porches. Reinforcements requested, over.”
This tickled the captain, who then found all his seven grandchildren out on the front porch where the three younger Trent children were sitting, with 11-year-old Velma writing things down.
“And see, that's another problem,” five-year-old Lil' Robert was saying. “Put that on there, too.”
“I think we have more than 19 problems with Covid,” Velma said, “but I'll just turn the page over when we fill it.”
Mrs. Ludlow and Mrs. Trent came out to watch and learn about the frustrations the little ones had with the whole Covid situation … and to watch them put the paper in the little box and start kicking it around the cul-de-sac, all the way down to the road, and then down the road, and then out to the intersection. Then, 10-year-old Andrew kicked the little box right into the middle of the intersection.
“See, it's not enough to kick the problems from Covid-19 down the road,” Gracie said. “We need to get them run over.”
“Serves Covid right!” Lil' Robert said.
“I thought it was a good idea,” Grayson said.
“And it was!” seven-year-old Amanda and eight-year-old Edwina Ludlow said about it as they kissed him.
“Felt good kicking it,” nine-year-old George Ludlow said.
“Ain't it the truth,” nine-year-old Milton Trent said.
“I'm not sure that's what 'kicked down the road' actually means,” eleven-year-old Eleanor Ludlow said, “but it seems to be working.”
“Sometimes,” Velma Trent said, “we just have to make do until we can get something better.”
And both families waited until the box had been run over several times.
“Well, that takes care of that,” Andrew said. “Now, we just need to trash it. Litter and such.”
Sgt. Vincent Trent was 15 years younger than Capt. Ludlow, and so went out, picked up the crushed box out of the intersection, and put it into the trash can.
“Now,” Gracie said, “we just need everybody to finish the job. Kicking stuff down the road is a start, but eventually, you gotta get your problems run over and trashed, and that takes working together and getting stuff done.”
“We adults are trying to get there, Gracie,” Sgt. Trent said.
“We're just old and slow,” Capt. Ludlow said, a twinkle in his blue eyes.
My nephew is in the hospital with congestive heart failure due to covid. He is only 41 years old, please keep him in your prayers. His heart is only working 10%.
I will ... and I ask for your prayers because I have Covid, also at 41! I confused it with my usual horrible spring allergies -- but that means I have a mild case. Your nephew is in real trouble, and I will keep that in mind.
Praying for you to have a fast recovery with no after-effects. A neighbor of my husband's brother had it and now he has to see a kidney Dr every week to have something done ( I am not sure what) but he was told if he doesn't do it he will be placed on dialysis. Our daughter had it while pregnant and has no lasting problems.
Praying you feel better soon. Take care, and try to have a quiet and restful weekend.
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Sometimes it takes children to solve a problem. Great story there. I wish we adults could trash our worries and fears in the same way.
Ironically, the idea there came from an adult ... Napoleon Bonaparte used to imagine himself putting his problems in a cabinet with many compartments, and then slamming the door on each problem so he could sleep! Gracie would have told him to have a carriage run them over a few times, BUT, she wasn't born yet...
Thanks for reading!
It is wonderful what you see, when you look at the world through the eyes of a child.
Yes, it is ...
The Ludlow and Trent children work well together with their collective intuitiveness. It does seem that on the issue of the pandemic, if adults would collaborate instead of being divisive on the issue, then we'd be further down the road in terms of getting this virus under control and behind us.
Thanks for sharing.
Read from ListNerds
Ah, I love it when readers GET THE POINT ... thanks for reading (from ListNerds)!
Children's minds don't have limits so often they can see things adults can't. When I lived in Columbus Ohio, a truck got stuck under a bridge because it was too high. Engineers had studied the problem for several days trying to figure out how to remove the truck without damaging the bridge. At some point, a little boy walked up and ask what was going on. The engineers told him. Without hesitation, the boy said, "Why don't you let the air out tires?" I am sure the engineers looked at each other dumbfounded. They let the air out of the tires and backed the truck out from under the bridge.
Brilliant solution!
One of the the things I try to do as an adult -- and it helps that I have taught children for 25 years -- is to get back to that place of seeing what is there instead of what, in adulthood, we are TOLD should be there... a child's mind is also free from "accepted" ideas about how things should be done...
Isn't Columbus, Ohio the home of the infamous 13'8 bridge under which trucks are often getting stuck?