The Child's Mind

I heard an intensely interesting conversation today at lunch. I was eating BBQ by myself and my booth faced a family of four, but not the family of four you're thinking of. It seemed to be a mother and child, and a grandfather and grandmother. I ate spicy sauce and beans and watched the grandfather playfully teasing the young boy (probably 4ish years old). They arm-wrestled, the boy stole the grandfather's hat, and they talked. I was astonished at how wonderful the grandfather was with his grandson. I must admit that I was a little jealous, because I never reallfy had a grandfather. But, as usual, I digress.

Back to the conversation. The mother is telling the story of a relative "Olivia" (cousin it sounded like) coming to visit her son. The son obviously was super-pumped about this prospect and began questioning the mother on when his cousin would arrive. So, the mother told this story...

"He asked me if Olivia (or something like that) was coming to visit him today. I told him that she would be coming tomorrow. He then asked if that would be tonight and I tried to explain to him that it would not be today but the next day. He then asked that if he laid down and went to sleep, when he woke up would that be tomorrow? (They all laughed...the grandson smiling blissfully beside his mother) I told him that's exactly when tomorrow would be and he laid down and went to sleep. The next day we were walking and he asked me if Olivia was coming today. I told him yes and he said, 'Oh, so today is tomorrow?' (Insert more laughter here)"

This is not only a cute story; it really got me thinking. At what point in a child's life do they realize the difference in today and tomorrow? When I think about the concept of tomorrow, I admit that I can see how it would be confusing. Tomorrow really never comes. Tomorrow only exists in concept. We know about today. We see today every stinking day. But, tomorrow is a trickier creature to pin down. Each today that comes brings with it its OWN tomorrow. But, clearly, at some point, the child gains the ability to recognize that tomorrow BECOMES today and that each today has a NEW tomorrow. I have to wonder if the child has the classis "AHA!" moment or simply falls peacefully into understanding. Either of these prospects seems viable to me, but I'm leaning toward the latter. I lean that direction because isn't this what happens to us all in everyday life all the time? Don't we all simply "pick things up" as we go? The difference between today and tomorrow does not seem very abstract to us now, but, then again, we're not four years old.

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It's been a stressful week or three, so I feel the urge to stop writing and just think....on paper...or computer screen I guess. Something that feels light and without defined purpose. Don't read if you don't want to. Just my own quest for catharsis I guess.

Understanding drifts to me slowly like a leaf on a patient autumn breeze.
Patient like a weary mother soothing an uneasy infant.
Uneasy like a forlorn son searching endlessly for new direction.
Endless like the abiding love poured out by a dutiful wife.
Dutiful like a soldier counting down the precious days.
Precious like the hidden diamonds buried deep in the coal.
Deep and angry like the tossings of the turbulent sea.
Turbulent like the throws of my wonderful life.
Wonderful like the peace that arrives with understanding.