Honor Where Honor is Due - 90 Years Worth!

Me and my special Nannigenarian!

Today is a very important day in history. Today is Nanni's birthday! And not just any birthday of Nanni's and not just any day in our family history, but a very significant one: Nanni is officially a nonagenarian! Or as I like to call her now, a Nannigenarian!

That may be a big word for a little boy, but every syllable of the word and every second of these 90 years has had a direct impact in my glorious heritage. And for that I am very grateful. I love my great grandmother! (emphasis on "great") 

As great grandchildren, we bask in Nanni's presence - and vice versa

The thing about great grandparents is that the word "great" isn't just because they are great, which they are. The other aspect of the word great is how GREAT their great grandchildren are, according to them. If you ever need a confidence boost or some salve to a bruised self esteem (deserved or otherwise), grandparents are where you go to get that. If you ever need or want to feel near divine, great grandparents provide that just by basking in their presence as they bask in yours.

Here's the Law of Generations. The higher up in generation you look to, the greater and grander you as a child feel. We babies abide by this scale of positive support and self esteem:

1. Your parents = poor to average development of self esteem in child. (Common conversations are riddled with: "Stop! Come back! Don't touch that! I'm going to count to three!!!" 
2. Grandparents = grand to grandiose growth of self confidence in their grandchildren. It is common to hear grandparents telling people: "My grandchild is so smart, he/she will be a doctor/lawyer/astrophysicist one day! My grandchild loves music, he/she has perfect pitch and precise rhythm! My grandchild is gorgeous. But really! My grandchild is an angel, he/she can do no wrong."
3. Great grandparents = great to even grandiose proliferation of self confidence, self esteem and potential egotistical tendencies in great grandchildren. Commonly heard from great grandparents: "My great grandchild is actually an angel sent from the right hand of God. My great grandchild should definitely be in magazines. My great grandchild is smart, but I meant like Galileo, Davinci, Michelangelo and Einstein-smart. My great grandchild is the Babe Ruth of all sports! My great grandchild is a natural musician, Beethoven had nothing on him/her. My great grandchild has the world's most winning smile! My great grandchild lights up the world by his/her very existence!"

Or, if you get a C on your report card, you are a genius! Here's $10 and a piece of Gianduia chocolate! And your drawing, that haphazard, ragtag piece of scribbled paper that you gave me which is designed to resemble, um, something ... PICASSO you are! An artistic genius! And if you perform in the school play but forget all your lines, you are the next Cary Grant! And if you miss your free throw, you are Michael Jordan! And if you throw things, have a meltdown in public or stubbornly stop to the ground in protest and triple your body weight so as not to be moved, well, it's your parents' fault for not meeting your needs and anyway, you are actually an angel and whatever is happening is a lie!! 

When we invade NY, we try to hang with Nanni as much as possible

I do appear to be monopolizing Nanni

Naturally, great grandparents are very justified in their glorification of us. I mean, we are them! All of their goodness and their great genes have been seasoned on the way down to us. We look upon them with awe and respect because we know that they have worked to make a better way for us. And we get all the benefits! I'm musical - thanks to Popi. I'm a fashion template and an amazing Van Gogh artist - thanks to Nanni! I'm a gastronomical connoisseur - thanks to both (great) Grandpa and (great) Grandma, one a famous French chef and the other an anonymous yet amazing cook at home. And on the other side, I'm an intricate woodworker and medical expert! I am too good to be true!

And thus you get the great grandparent perspective/ego boost of the century!

I look to Nanni for more than just my genes

Nanni = unconditional love! ...

My motto in life is Shakespearean: "Brevity is the soul of wit." But "Nanni" is one of the few words I bother to say because she is very meaningful to me.

Unfortunately, an ocean is between us and now almost one year of literal face time (only slightly less of Apple-type FaceTime). But we live on pictures and memories and DNA to get us through the long months of separation. At least I know I have a delightful heritage!

...And lots of positive reinforcement in all my pursuits!

"The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me."

 Psalm 16:6 

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