Opinion

GARY SMITH: Life always finds a way

I spent a little time the other day looking at pictures of my youngest grandson. I mention this not just because, well, grandchildren are what people with grandchildren talk about a lot. I mention it because he hasn't been born yet.

Apparently, that doesn't stop folks these days.

A note: I mention that the object of the photos is my youngest grandson because, well, due to events, I have to be a tad more specific than in the past.

My children decided during the pandemic that they wanted to index on having babies. So, it looks like we're going from two to five grandchildren fairly rapidly. I say rapidly since I'm not the one actually doing it. Frankly, when anyone discusses the concept of Intelligent Design, I have to interject that this process seems ripe for improvement, and that a 2.0 version might have solved some bugs. Maybe some more Whiteboarding?

Anyway, thanks to the fact that we live in an age that features the sort of amazing technological advances that allow us to develop safe, effect vaccines to combat worldwide pandemics that, apparently, a significant portion of our population can't be bothered to take, thereby extending the aforementioned pandemic and causing needless suffering (I'm not gonna stop mentioning that for bit) or to allow billionaires to have very public, expensive midlife crises that involve going to space-ish, we can see very good images of unborn children.

I mean, there's some other stuff. Electric cars, for instance. Apps to order pizza. The ability to stream Jason Bourne movies 24/7. You know, big things. But vaccines and rich guys in space seem to be in the news a lot lately, so...

In addition to all that stuff, the technology that allows us a sneak peek into the womb is a good thing. For one, this allows us to make sure everything is baking in the oven without having to open the door, so to speak. And also, it allows those of us with direct connect to the unborn children to obsess even more over them.

Thanks to modern technology, we can fuss about more than whether the expectant mother has indigestion (sure sign of a boy or a baby with hair or something; I don't remember and I doubt it's correct) or whether the baby is being "carried " high or low or just right (wherever it is, it looks very uncomfortable to me. But my 'outside looking in' experience tells me that's going to get worse before it gets any better).

It also allows us the opportunity to argue over whose nose, ears, cheeks, etc., the child has. I'm sure, if asked, the child would answer "mine." And soon learn that is not exactly one of the multiple choice answers.

Besides, it's fun. Most grandparents will admit that having grandchildren is largely why they had kids in the first place (my father would throw in yard maintenance and someone to send to the store, which, ya, also important). So, the sooner you get to see the objects of your undying devotion, the better. Anticipation is highly overrated, as any 7-year-old will tell you at about 4:30 a.m. on a Christmas morning.

And it is interesting to get a quick look into their world, at least before they get old enough to have rooms of their own and you really don't want to be in there. Or know.

Right now, all of my newest set of grandchildren are percolating along nicely, secure in nice, quiet places where they get to do what they need to do with few interruptions, except for the occasional video interaction with the world. Sort of like working from home.

So, I've seen him. He looks remarkably...like a baby. Which is to say like just about every other baby in the world ever. Any specific distinctions I'll leave others to assign.

Now I mention this not because there is some grand connection to current events or even technological advances. I mean, I know what an ultrasound is. I just didn't appreciate it had become so commonplace.

But what isn't and never will be commonplace to me, particularly in this times, is that, well, life goes on. Pandemic, vaccine battles, political tensions, rocket-measuring contests, whatever. Life goes on.

Our children are born, grow up and have children of their own. Not particularly profound, but consistent. Even in inconsistent times. And the beauty of, at least my life at the moment, is I get to see it.

Even before it happens.

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