I may be 72 years old, but I identify as 27, so that makes me way too young to be a grandfather.
At least that’s what I thought. But several weeks ago, one of our sons and his wife presented my wife and me with a brand new grandson, our first.
How about that?
Over the years, I never gave a second thought to the concept of grand-parenthood. It was one of those things that was great for other old fogies but not for a young guy like myself. As the parent of four kids I felt as though I had survived my turn in the barrel.
Yet there I was, a grandfather.
It got me to thinking about kids and grandkids and what it all means. When our oldest son was born in 1988, I wrote a column in the Juneau Empire, the daily newspaper in Alaska’s capital city. (I was the editor so I could pretty much print anything I wanted.) In rereading it the other day, I was struck that, in spite of the whirlwind of change that has overtaken our lives, much of what I wrote still rings true.
So at the risk of misquoting myself, here are some excerpts:
“It is easy to be cynical. These days not many families, groups, businesses, agencies or organizations can lay claim to perfection, or even approach it. Part of being human, and of being part of an organization run by humans, is that problems arise. Some problems are big, and others are small, but they do arise.
“That’s why cynicism is such an easy cop-out. It’s easy to stand back and write off whole groups, or even the human race, because they aren’t perfect.
“What does that accomplish? Nothing, other than providing the cynic with a small dose of self-aggrandizement. After all it’s always easier to complain about a problem than it is to fix it. To a cynic, the main idea is to talk as much as possible while doing as little as possible….
“I’ve encountered thousands of people. Just about all types. Selfless and self-serving, happy and sad, competent and incompetent – and any degree between those extremes.
“But every one of those people shared a common attribute. They were all basically good. Even if they were going about their business in a wildly inappropriate way, even if they were totally unreasonable, even if they had lost their temper, most were just trying to do what they thought was right. That’s what nearly every one of us tries to do….
“The world is a beautiful place. There are tall mountains, plunging river valleys, seemingly endless plains, exotic animals. But what you will find during your years on this planet is that people make the world the wonderful place it is.”
And boy howdy, is that ever true. We’ve all met people that absolutely light up our lives. The talents and skills they have, the things they say and do. The variety is limitless, entertaining and inspiring.
Yuji Leo Sampson was born Sept. 22 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. His parents are Paul and Naoko Sampson.
Yuji is a Japanese name that refers to benevolence and peace. My hope is that his life will be filled with both.
Carl Sampson is a freelance writer and editor. He lives in Stayton.
