Wisdom From a Fifth Grader

You've probably heard the phrase or seen the show called, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?  So here's a bit of wisdom from the fifth grader that lives in my house.  She was told to write a story using all the words from her spelling list.  I thought you might find it entertaining.

Eric's First Ride   by Summer

Eric was excited!  He was going on a train for the first time.  "Please pack things you're going to want for the ride," Eric's mom called from the kitchen.  

Eric began to pack.  He took raisins, a sailboat, a paint tray, and a pail of paint.  Then he contained them all in a back pack.  After that they made their way to the railway station.  When they got there, Eric was surprised at how big the train was.  They stepped aboard.  While Eric was waiting he played as if his boat were sailing across the Pacific Ocean.  

Suddenly, the train cars separated and a fishy feeling crept over him.  Little did he know that his train car was rolling down the hill.  Then there was a bang, a painful lurch, and Eric lost all consciousness.  When he woke up the train was moving smoothly through a corn field.

"What happened?" asked Eric.  His mother explained that the train cars had separated and their car went rolling down the hill.  Then the caboose brought them to a grinding halt.  

"Denver!" came a call from the loud speaker.  

Eric and his parents got off the train.  When his grandmother asked how his first ride was, "good," is all she got out of him. 

I love the last line, "good, is all she got out of him."  It is so typical of the response I get sometimes from my children.  How was school today?  Good.  How was the party?  Good.  How did Awana go?  Good.  But then I hear them talking to their siblings a mile a minute about which I had only received a 'good'.   So much goes on in our children's day that I'm amazed at how they so nonchalantly sum it all up in a good. 

When people ask how I'm doing I usually try to answer somewhat honestly.  I'm okay, I'm tired, I'm having a rough day, or I'm great.  I don't want to be a phoney and lie through my teeth about how I'm doing.  Yet at the same time, I wonder if I answered with an enthusiastic 'good!' how that might change my attitude.

I've been working hard at talking to strangers lately.  It comes so very naturally to my husband.  I envy his ability to strike up a conversation with everybody he runs into, no matter who they are.  Being married to this man over 22 years, I've been taking a few notes here and there.  One thing I've learned is that when I tell people I'm doing great, somehow I actually feel better and it forces my focus to be turned outward rather than on myself.  I never woulda thunk it coming from me, but I actually have fun talking with people I don't know. 

So, take it from a fifth grader, no matter how rough your day, try answering with a 'good' and see if encouragement doesn't spill into your life and splash out a little on others.