Three Steps | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Three Steps | Previous Challenge Entry
By Terry Bovinet
08/25/16
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Three Steps

He stood bravely on the top step with his arms outstretched, then very, very cautiously took that first step down. Using those now flailing arms to bring some balance to his 25-month old frame, he completed that big step all on his own. No railing. No extended hand to guide him.

“Great job, Buddy!” I cheered.

He repeated his stellar performance on step two, paused for a moment, and then landed awkwardly but still upright on step three - the outdoor deck floor.

“Again.” Absolutely thrilled, his newly found confidence made that a statement rather than a request for permission.

Somehow I thought his first success would end his adventure. How foolish of me!

Up the steps. Down the steps. Loop after loop. After loop.

How can three steps create so much lively fun and unbridled joy – for him . . . and for me?

My grandson - my oldest daughter’s (also my oldest child) firstborn, in fact, the firstborn grandchild for his three sets of grandparents - accomplished his courageous feat in front of delighted family and friends.

Seemingly oblivious to the high temperature matched by the humidity level, he made his next climb and descent while most of the adults found relief in any shade provided. In short order, his red cheeks, now brighter than his auburn red hair, glistened from the glare of the sun that went unnoticed by him.

“Watch your steps,” I would repeat every few attempts to assure apparently only myself as he paid no attention to my exhortations.

Up the steps. Down the steps. Repeat. And then repeat some more.

After several triumphs, alighting on the second step created a momentary suspension of his frenetic activity. He focused on a spot on the deck, and then jumped as far as his legs would take him.

“Whoa! You did it!”

Even though he refused any help from me, I kept a vigilant eye on him - until that one moment when I looked away to continue a conversation.

He waited for that instant to perform a backflip with his full body thudding on the deck.

Whimpering a bit, he raised his arms for me to pick him up and then started rubbing the back of his head where it had hit upon landing.

“Owww.”

“Let me kiss it for you.” Grammie, my wife, came to his rescue. Grammie’s kisses hold remarkable healing powers.

“Again.” Now cured, he pointed to the steps.

The backflip slowed him down, but only for seconds.

An incredible family surrounds this child with unending love. Three aunts and three uncles unite with his mother, father, grandparents, and eight great-grandparents to nurture his life with affection and attention. All of us provide him with every material need for a two-year old - with some of it, or rather much of it, not needed at all.

The house of my daughter’s wonderful in-laws provided the setting for the three steps that lead out to their backyard. Their spacious basement holds enough toys to start a preschool. The very partial list includes a basketball hoop, a train set, and a plastic kitchen with plastic dishes, utensils, pots, and pans.

But for those several minutes, he preferred the unstructured entertainment provided by three steps.

The time will come, sadly all too soon, when he will take only one trip up or down those steps – with no continuous loop. He will use the steps as a means to an end with some goal to accomplish rather than as a spontaneous playground.

Also, not every backflip will end with his words, “Again.” Some of his backflips may result in more than momentary pain, but I pray he will always stand up and keep climbing.

Even though Grammie’s kisses may not work their intended wonders when those take place, I also pray he will always climb with complete awareness of the unending support he has enjoyed from the time his parents announced a pregnancy through any step up or step down and even any backflip - especially for a backflip. And, he will go through his life with this absolute assurance - “never alone” - just as on those three steps.

Non-fiction

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