Not Easier, Better

My favorite Scorpio, gravity and super speed.

The late summer is great. The heat tapers down to perfect picnic weather, and it's a seasonal runway to my favorite person's birthday.

It’s Phil. He’s my favorite person. And his birthday is mid-fall.

I celebrated a nephew's birthday last month, my brother-in-law's birthday a week ago, and a friend's daughter's special day on that same date.

The King’s birthday. (Pittsburgh, PA., Oct, 2022)

Friends having kids is wild because it gives birthdays a whole new meaning - there are actual memories associated with their arrival into this world. And watching their development is even more mind-boggling. You go from seeing them within a belly to emerging as sleepy masses that hardly move until they're these walking-talking little humans that make you wonder how you haven't known them your whole life.

A particular photo of our friend's daughter cracks me up every time I see it. She's young, and her parents propped her up in an armchair. The seat area is a vast playland compared to her petite size. She's doing a sit-lean because she's the age where body awareness and control aren't a thing. Cradling her head is of high priority still.

Do you know I saw a picture of her on her birthday three days ago, and she is a poised and smiling 2-year-old?

The blind fumbling and involuntary movements of infancy are gone. Several months ago, she was a handheld lump of cuteness but is now sitting on her own tailbones.

It's wild.

And the thing is - nothing got easier. Gravity is still 9.81m/s. The same femur bone still connects to the same hip bone. Everything changed because she got better.

Better ab strength, better coordination, better balance.

Human development is really a thing, huh? 

Examples like that make me rethink my desire for super speed. If they were handing out superpowers, I'd choose the ability to run faster than the speed of light. I'd relish venturing into the future and learning outcomes. But then I'd miss the caterpillar in the cacoon or the water vapor condensing into rain. I'd miss the best part - the process. 

What's not getting easier but you're getting better at?