About a Boy

My son Fisher (7 years of age) is my big dreamer. On Monday after school he headed straight to the garage and with hammer, nails, and wood scraps, began building a table. He asked me if he could use the big slab of plywood for the top as he wanted to make a big table and sell it for a thousand dollars (he's saving up to buy a car and a home for his future wife). This is the kid who had lemonade stands all summer to earn money--and no wonder--most people stopped to just give him all their change because, as they said, he was just so cute. I explained he needed to start small and work his way up to fine construction, reminded him of those lemonade stands and told him next year he can have a produce stand and sell our eggs and pumpkins and the like. Trying to tell a kid that things take time is like trying to pocket the stars.

On Tuesday he came home from school and set out a table and chairs under the apple tree. He picked a peck of apples and he and I enjoyed them right there, all the while I listened to him talk about how he wanted to invent something but couldn't decide just what since so much has been invented and can he sell his invention in stores.

On Wednesday he tied a box to the back of his bike and rode around the yard collecting who the heck knows what. He kept exclaiming how much he loved it here--this house, this land. And then he found a toad and named it Acorn and built it a home. He and I got sledge hammers and tore apart the old wooden planter box that sat at the top of the hill to revamp the landscape with stone we found and hauled from deep in the woods. Our hands in the dirt, rich with roots and bulbs and worms, I reminded him how growing things takes time and nurturing. Look at what we've done here--we remodeled most of the house, built a tree house and chicken coop and fence, landscaped, started a garden, planted trees and cleared out much of the old stuff the previous owners had let go--all in just over a year. And everything we do we learn, especially when it comes to gardening. We see what works and how to improve next year. It's a lot like life I told him--you've got to nurture it and give it time to grow, figure out what works and what doesn't, and learn the patience that comes from enjoying every stage of growth. It's about being present. What a gift it is to watch this boy grow. I can't wait to see what he goes out to do in this world, but for now he's all mine.