The Time Honored Gift of Grandpa.

 In the seventies there was a television commercial that ended with the statement, "The mind is a terrible thing to waste."  

To be honest I can't remember what the rest of the commercial was about in the first place.  It was that iconic statement that stuck to the inner recesses of my mind.  Apparently I'm not the only old fool that remembers that statement and doesn't remember the rest of the commercial.  It has evolved from, "The mind is a terrible thing to waste", to, "The mind is a Terrible Thing."   

Remove the last two words from the line and the meaning changes substantially.  Indeed, The Mind is a Terrible Thing.  It can be exploited, or it can be a tool for evil, and likewise good, but then it wouldn't be so Terrible.  Let's just keep it simple, shall we?

Some of the youth of America have minds that are at different stages of malleable.  That is, they either have huge imaginations, or they are easily manipulated and can be convinced of things that aren't exactly so.  For instance I am a grandfather.  I know, the prospect of having me as a grand dad has sent our daughter and her husband over the proverbial threshold of sanity, because my grandkids hang on every word I say.  And I tell you, I can be a stinker.  

The art of creating stories and lies to send down the generational path to the grandkids is the time honored Duty of every Grandfather in the world.  Grandfather's unite and stand tall because we have finely reached that respected age in our lives when we are the purveyors and holders of the "Truth" of the ages, and like all truths, the stories must be told. 

One if the first and possibly one of the most honorable stories to pass down to the grandkids is the story of the "Snipe Hunt."  The Snipe Hunt story consists of the mythical Snipe and place to send the grandkids.  Preferably a forested area, a large field, maybe with a stream or a pond, a place you know hours of time can be spent hunting the Snipe.  The proper time for hunting the Snipe is just as the sun goes down.  At that time  it is hard enough to see, but light enough to get a good story started.  Fueled by all sorts of lies and myth, the Snipe Hunt is a very convenient way to get the grandkids out in the elements, enjoying something other than the tap, tap, tapping of pocket phones and or game counsels.  The idea is to send them on the "Snipe Hunt" until they have captured one.  That usually takes them up until supper when they are called back in.  Dejected because of the inability to find a Snipe.  Feeding them, bathing them, and sending them to bed is the next stage in the game.  I, the grandfather, have succeeded in my babysitting task.  

To keep the story in play, in the morning when the grandkids wake, they see the stuffed creature sitting on the mantel to prove without a doubt that a Snipe does in fact exist.  Usually this creature is an exotic animal that would not be normally living in the local environment.  My granddad would use a stuffed and mounted, Red Crested Road Runner."  A fairly rare bird in the first place.  That was our Snipe.  My grandfather was the Snipe Master.

So reader, if you are a Grandfather or will be a Grandfather in the future, remember your time honored responsibility.  That ever important task of passing down tales of Greatness, stories if the Grand Knights of Goo, the forever Realities of our Time and Space, remember that our stories, or lies create the best of the next generation and should be handled with the respect and care of time earned Wisdom.

Peace and Balance,

John