Strider and the Arts

Between the end of the NFL season and the beginning of March Madness, we've been able to put the Olympics on mute/pause once in awhile, long enough to see that there actually IS a teeny little space of Strider's brain left to think about other things besides sports. It's been a relief to discover this.

In the last few weeks, he has been a lot of fun to talk to, as we've discussed things that I can finally relate to. (The one-sided conversations about which running back tight end has the record yards for on-side kicks after a 3-point conversion, or some other such thing, has left me numb on numerous occasions.) With his 14 non-sports-oriented brain cells, Strider has been diving into some interesting topics lately... biographies of Sam Walton and Walt Disney.... doing a presentation for his class in which he dressed up as Teddy Roosevelt, complete with pipe and hat.... learning more about some famous composers and orchestra instruments... baking a Depression-era cake.

And, he has even been learning about poetry. Yes, this was fully required, as I'm sure he would most definitively want me to state at the outset, but he has done it without the bellyaching I anticipated. He's discovered the great works of Shel Silverstein, has read some of the true masters, like Robert Louis Stevenson, and has memorized the only real poem I ever truly learned, "A Mortifying Mistake." (The legacy from my grandfather is now passed down to another generation!) AND, to my great delight, he has even composed some poems (again because he was forced to, but still). Here is a limerick he wrote:

We went to fly our kite in the sky,
We also brought a bread called rye.
A man asked, "Is it May?"
He was weird. I said, "Nay."
The bread was tasty and the kite flew high.

Tonight we branched into the performing arts, as we went to see a play, "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe." He was VERY excited to go, since it's his "favorite story because it's such an adventure!"

This afternoon I asked him if he was getting prepared for our big date. "Are you going to wear a suit tonight?" I asked him.

He responded, "Moooo---oooom. It's not THAT big of a deal. It's not a ball or anything!"

But then just saying the word "ball" suddenly triggered the other 90% of his brain cells and off he started running, throwing some imaginary ball into the air, giving his own color commentary as he ran.... and making up a joke about how 2 guys could get confused if they talked about "throwing a ball" and one was talking about hosting a big dance.

What a boy!

(us getting ready for our "not that big of a deal" outing)