Some Sharing Is Good For The Soul (And Others)

I was reminded today that in addition to what we might showcase in creativity, or discuss about STEEM, or throw out as lifehacks, there is an element to all of this posting that shouldn't ever be forgotten, and that's the human element.

Some folks are really good at sharing what they're doing, to the point where it can be a little too much sometimes. Others find the right mix between interesting topics and interesting life stories. That's a rare commodity, but one I don't mind tapping into regularly when reading the posts of others.

Not quite before and after photos, but you get the idea. One bed not tilled, the other one I managed to do.

I don't think I would rate that high on a scale where sharing goings on in my life outside of STEEM is a main priority. Those who engage with me in the comments will know much more than what my posts will indicate. There, I'm trying to share my latest fiction, or maybe even emphasize something about STEEM that I think is worth talking about. I don't talk much about my own life, one, because right now there's not a whole lot going on that people are going to be that interested in—the closest I've gotten in the near term is writing about my battles with cooking.

Even those have tapered off of late, though they might just bump again because I could be cooking all of next week.

I've never been that big on sharing what's going on, even when I was more active on Facebook and Twitter. And since my grandchildren are mostly off limits to show pictures of, I've pretty much backed off of that, too, even though that is a lot of what my life does revolve around now.

Before my sons got married and started having children, I fully intended to have an empty nest by now. In fact, there have been months at a time where my wife and I have been alone over the last 11 years, but for the most part, we've had one or the other son, plus wife, and now their family living with us.

Strangely enough, it's been okay. There are the locking of horns, and the occasional spats and snits, but by and large, the grandchildren tend to mitigate all that. It's been wonderful to be in our granddaughter's life since she was two months. Very soon she turns two years old.

Now, she has a baby brother, who is not even a month old yet, and she's been kind of a little tart (not overly belligerent or mean, but very vocal) about it. Can't blame her. She's not used to sharing anyone around her with anyone else, and so it hasn't quite sunk in yet that baby brother needs some love and attention, too. She's still the darling of the three grandchildren we now have, though, simply because she's the oldest, and so far, the only girl. I'm not going to do favorites, but it's been a real pleasure and joy to see her learn and grow. She's smart as a whip, even if she still wants her way, or the highway.

So, that's the current chapter of life I'm in. Other things like yard work, gardening, looking around for gainful employment while trying to build up stake on STEEM—those all seem kind of secondary to my role of Grandpa. I'm not sure if my wife necessarily agrees with my priorities, but it's not like she doesn't enjoy being a Grandma. She does, and she's good at it.

It's one of those things that we've looked forward to for a long time. Unfortunately, the mind tends to go to the storybook kind of life, where everything goes just peachy, when in reality, we're dealing with all kinds of personalities and wills and expectations. I think I've been better at navigating this phase of life better than my wife has, but then I'm home more than she has been because of her work, and I'm over being Dad.

What I mean by that is, I don't need to be the problem solver, the disciplinarian, taskmaster or the logistics man anymore. I can ask questions, handle some advice when asked, but otherwise, it's Grandpa mode. I come in and see the grandchildren when I want, and go when I want, and hopefully time it in between trips to the park, the mall, naps and bedtime.

So, while there's been times over the last nearly two years that I would love to be well versed in nunchucks and just knock a few heads on occasion (maybe they can be metaphorical nunchucks), it's been better than I thought it would be. We're all still talking to one another and we manage to smile, laugh and have fun, too. I think those are all good signs.

Welcome to the rodeo we call life, Grandpa. Here's your hat.

_{Images courtesy of Glen Anthony Albrethsen}

This post, in addition to being more on the personal side, is a part of the daily five minute freewrite hosted by @mariannewest. In this case, six prompts have been used, and are found italicized throughout the post. For more information about the daily five minute freewrite, head here.