Stories: Not Too Far From The Ocean
The End of Polio? • I Was a Long-boarder • The Draft: What's Your Problem? • Timothy Leary? • To Ski or Not to Ski • Butch and Sundance • Dogs, Dogs, Dogs! • Arrivals • It's Just a Car • Fish On! • Music Musings • Walter Mitty Redux • Clamming and Crabbing • Grandpop: Can We Talk?
Grandpop: Can We Talk?
During a recent visit, after playing with the many toys he and his sister, Katie, had accumulated, my 4-year-old grandson, William, sat down in a kids' rocking chair that initially belonged to his mom. He looked at me with a serious expression I had never seen before and said, "Grand-pop, can we talk?"
I replied, "Yes, William, what do you want to talk about?"
He asked, "What are your favorite colors?"
I answered, "Well, blue, gray, and sometimes black. What are your favorite colors?"
He responded, "Purple and also gold."
I said, "Good choices."That marked the end of our short conversation that day, as his 2-year-old sister, Katie, soon diverted our attention.
This moment took me back to my years as a part-time gypsy scholar teaching color theory and design at UCLA, Cal State, and other institutions. I recalled preparing for a lecture on the psychology of color, which I sometimes found puzzling. Nonetheless, I remembered that purple symbolizes experience, knowledge, and sound judgment, while gold represents wealth and success.
The concepts of knowledge, good judgment, wealth, and success can be daunting for a young 4-year-old, especially considering today’s world—assuming he thinks about such things at his age, which I doubt.
It also reminded me of my final interview for the Master of Arts degree at UCLA, where the committee asked many questions, but one stuck in my mind. Although I can't recall the exact wording, it was about my goals for the future.
My answer was, "I would just like to be successful." The committee members laughed at my response, even though I worked freelance for two of them at the time, for $5.00 per hour, no less! But that didn't matter; I just wanted to start my life, as I was 27 then.
My answer to that question today would be, "Stay alive."
After everyone left my show opening that night at the UCLA Recreation Center, I took off my clothes and went for a skinny dip in the pool—I was not alone. It felt amazing and was a perfect way to begin facing the future.
So, William, be yourself, follow your heart, and become whatever you want to be.
Grand-pop: 11. 2024
