The Descriptive Niece

One can never assume that any one year old is going to be interchangeable with any other. I have 3 of them in my life right now and each is as different as the other. This past week I got to spend it with the descriptive niece, the tour guide niece, the prepositional phrase niece, the action verb niece. She was absolutely hilarious as we continued to shower her with praise and affection.

I wonder just what people are capable of when they have nothing to prove to anyone but themselves. Isn't that the goal? Don't we all ultimately want to have the confidence to achieve anything? And shouldn't we be able to get there knowing that we have the support of those around us?

I realize that not everyone grew up in homes where the parents were loving and supportive. But I would like to think that most people would seek out those who would be giving and nurturing in their lives. Wouldn't people figure out that they would want to be around those who care about them?

I feel pretty fortunate to have grown up with great parents who cared about me and listened and were part of my life. I think it was difficult to be single for as long as I was, but it was always meaningful for me to have their support and know that I was not crazy. All the woman I was dating were. Okay, not all of them. But, having that kind of parental support should be enough to propel anyone forward, to believe that they can accomplish anything.

But what holds us back? What keeps us from dreaming? Is the disappointment of failure too much to want to take more chances?

As I look at my descriptive niece, I wonder what it is that could hold her back. She should be able to tackle anything. She should be able to be anything she wants. With loving parents who want the best for her, what is there to stop her? She should be able to be the tour guide who people look to for guidance through the city. She should be the teacher who sees the demonstration with proper vocabulary words. Or she could be the scientist who describes the procedure for a new method of space travel.

And there we will be clapping in support, because no matter what she accomplishes, her very existence has already touched our lives in more ways than she could possibly know.