Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska

Wanda's Diary Entries

Thursday, December 15, 2005

This morning, Frank and I were awakened at the condo by the sound of a ringing cell phone at around 6 a.m. We received an automated message from Henry’s school telling us that, due to winter weather, school had been cancelled for the day. With our obesity shoot scheduled for tomorrow and so much to do before my trip abroad on Sunday, I thought, eek, how can I keep Henry occupied for the day? Well, he could go to the office with us, we decided. And I thought of all the time I put in in my youth watching my parents write, study, read books, etc.—seemingly boring things to a child and later teenager. But in the end, I turned out to like these things and to pursue a career much like my parents’ in academia. So Henry could do several things today, including answer the phones, for which he does a reasonably good job.

At about 8 a.m., when we were just finishing breakfast, we received a phone call from Edith McPeak, his 80-year-old babysitter in Mount Airy. If Henry would like to come over and make potato candy, please let him know he is welcome, she told me. He will be “my guest” today. I’m not going out, she said. No pay needed. Henry was elated. So off to Mrs. McPeak’s he went. And when I picked up at 3 p.m., he had a mold full of old fashioned potato candy, a country specialty! I even sampled a piece, and it was wonderful. Henry was productive and pleased with what he’d made with his own hands. Mrs. McPeak was proud of her young charge.

Mrs. McPeak had extended herself and found a role for herself by thinking about the needs of others. How I’d like to be like her when I’m her age.