One on One with Elizabeth

The day after I returned from the trip to the North Shore, I had the privilege of hosting my niece, Elizabeth (age 9 & 3/4), for a few days. We visited some friends of mine who have horses so she could ride and play with two of their daughters who are about her age, went to the Como Zoo and had a picnic with a cousin and her daughter, and went out for ice cream. She brought her bike and we went for one of the longest rides she's every been on. It was probably about 7.5 miles but she was a trouper. Once we got off the Greenway and she knew we were just a few blocks from home she was like a horse heading to the barn, eager to get off her bike and put her feet up.

Riding horses or the zoo was probably the highlight of the trip for Elizabeth. The highlight for me was doing the every day things with her such as going to the grocery store, cooking and watching the Olympics. Together we made some sweet and sour chicken that she declared to be "Very Good!" I had to agree.

In the midst of all these events, Elizabeth gave me her impressions of the big city. The roads with all the signs and overpasses seemed very complicated. "I don't think I could every drive here. It doesn't make sense." As we got into the car after buying groceries she commented on how the store was full of people speaking other languages and wearing unusual clothing. The next day she told me how she would go to the grocery store with Mommy and find an item on her own. "I didn't do that yesterday. I stayed right next to you." I couldn't help but smile at her uncertainty in the unfamiliar surroundings. In the end she decided she was not a big city girl. That's just fine since she is glad to come visit me wherever I happen to be living. Besides, after all these years I'm still not sure I'm a big city girl either.