31 Days of Giving Permission . . . TO BE OUTRAGEOUS (once in a while)

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I never cease to be amazed at what I learn from my grandchildren.
Two of the younger ones, a duo I’ve written about before, the ones that were born

during one of the darkest seasons of our family story,
those two turned EIGHT years old this fall.

Born one month and one day apart, Griffin and Grace
have been a source of blessing and joy to all of us
during their short lifetime.

And today, Gracie is eight.
Full of fun, great questions, imaginative ideas,
artistic skills and a voracious reading appetite,
she is delightful and delicious.

We met them at a local restaurant for pasta dinner
and then came back here for ice cream and presents.
I noticed our pretty girl’s cute bun on the top of her head
and thought she looked particularly fetching as the evening unfolded. 

Most of the time, Grace poses for pictures willingly and easily,
and she provided me with two lovely smiles
as I snapped away with my iPhone. 

Then I asked her to turn sideways for the camera.
Because this girl – well she loves to do something
fun and wild and a little bit crazy every once in a while.

She asked her mom to come up with a brand-new hair treatment
for her day at school.
In a school that demands uniforms,
there isn’t a lot of individuality allowed.
But hair-dos?
Oh, my! Let the outrageous ideas roll!

Her mom found this do on the web and it’s called a bun-hawk
(like a mohawk, but without the shaved sides!)

Too cute! 

Sometimes I think it’s good for the soul to just do something
completely flamboyant, creative and new, don’t you?
I’m not sure I would have thought of such fun things for my hair at her age,
but I’m sure glad she did.

Griffin turned eight last month
and he opted for a big party this year
(Grace had a sleepover with a small group of girlfriends last weekend.)

I wanted a picture of him with his cake, and he did what he often does:
he put a pose on.
We all begged him to relax, to be himself,
and he couldn’t quite find that look, though he did try! 

So somebody in his immediate family, either a brother or a mother,
started tickling him,
and immediately, we began to see the true Griff, shining through. 

So, I got the picture I wanted — our sweet boy,
looking relaxed and natural,
showing the world what eight looks like on a blonde-haired boy. 

And then, of course, it all went to h**l in a handbasket!
He totally cracked up and couldn’t stop!

And isn’t that a fun thing to do once in a while, too?
To laugh until your sides hurt.

I do believe it’s good for the body as well as the soul! 

So, when the timing is right, don’t be afraid to be a little outrageous —
to wear something wild, to sing a song when least expected,
to laugh until you’re too tired too move.

Outrageous looks good on you! 

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Comments

  1. ourtrageous: so last week i finally was able to pull off having our grandson (who has got to be a brother/twin to your Griffin) for an overnight. we all took ourselves out to a birthday dinner for great Grandpa. Nathan and I entertained ourselves waiting for our food by throwing crackers into each other’s mouth across the table. He was much more accurate than me! Grandpa and Great grandpa just laughed at us! and we giggled too.

    • LOVELY fun, Carol. I’ll have to try that with a kid or two. (Although, their parents might not approve. )

      • his mom, the most “proper” of the moms in my family said “ohh well, as long as it was grandma approved.”

        • Diana, you do know about scrunching the paper cover of a straw and using said straw to drip a drop of water, one by one on the scrunchy paper – voila, a paper “worm” comes to life! great do show grandkids and do it everytime you are out to eat with them, waiting for our order. at some point, they are going to be old eneough to roll their eyes at Grandma….

  2. I remember one time jerry and I challenged each other on a particularly hot day to jump in the pool with all our clothes on , it was great! Another time we had stopped at the bank and a great song was on the radio and I wanted to dance so we got out of the car and danced in the parking lot ! Those things keep you young!

  3. what fun shines in these photos, thank you!

    I admit, I’m feeling a bit outrageous myself these days

  4. Oh, what a challenge–what outrageous thing might I do in the next few days? Hm….I wouldn’t mind a big laugh. Haven’t had that in a while. I’ll have to think about this. Thanks for the invitation, the challenge, the reminder.