Impressions Were Being Formed

Maplewood, New Jersey.  I’ve never been.  Heading there today.  My little brother has a place down there with his wife and their three-year-old son, and we’re driving there today to celebrate Christmas with them.   I hadn’t realized it was nearly all the way to Newark Airport.  It took a full ninety minutes for us to drive down. 

It’s wonderful to have three-year-old you need to buy Christmas gifts for.  Indeed, his parents always insist: “nothing for us!”  (I made donation to WFMU, my favorite radio station, which happens to be there in New Jersey on their behalf.)  But for hm, I could port myself to my own backyard at that age and the world’s I used to build with trucks and road graders. 

I bought Tonka Trucks for my daughters too, when they were three.  They quickly turned them into baby carriages for their dolls, Rico and LeeRon who could be led around and now, deposited.  My sister brought the trucks I’d bought her son a decade ago, as well, so soon my younger nephew suddenly a convey of large, convincing vehicles, where before he’d had none. 

He wanted to show me his room.  He had a great room.  He wanted to show me his parent’s room as well, where he sometimes slept and the upstairs bathroom too.  And during dinner, which was delicious and so thoughtfully presented, he would come up to me to want to show me something and though I wanted on the one hand to sit and relax and enjoy my meal I always got up to join him after only a moments reflection as though I could feel how impressions were being formed and I wanted to afford him unconditional attention. 

I also gave him a close-and-play record player this year and the vinyl for “The Beatles 67’ to 70’,” a brand-new copy of the original compilation that was always lying around in our house when I was that age.  There was no way he’d listen today, but perhaps his parents will help him to do so later.  I wrote to him and told him with all earnestness that they were my best friends and that I hoped they would also be friends of his, as well.  

Friday, 12/27/19