When I started the first time travel book, I was motivated by a wish to have known my grandparents in their younger years. Like the old story of the Blind Men and the Elephant, we only know out grandparents as middle-aged and older and therefore never know the whole person. Photos aren't much help to my generation because most pictures taken in the early twentieth century are of posed, unsmiling people who look like they never had a fun day in their lives, never misbehaved, never showed any emotion. And I know that wasn't true, so it was fun to have Dinah McBriar meet and hang out with her great-grandmother.
Fast forward to the present. This week we were presented with our first great-grandchild, Olivia Jane. I love the name and am glad her parents weren't determined to name her something unique like 'Paper Cut' or spell her name in a way that would cause confusion between her and every teacher she has. She is healthy and her mother is doing well too and we are thankful for that.
But I can't help wishing I had a time travel camper that would carry me forward to see her future. She will be my age in 2089. What events and changes in the world will she have seen that we can't even imagine? Will she look at old photos of her grandparents and wonder what they did for fun or if they had nicknames or what kinds of food they wouldn't eat? What bits of culture will she see in those photos that she doesn't understand because they have completely disappeared by that time? Will her life be easier or more stressful?
The Circle of Life.
Fast forward to the present. This week we were presented with our first great-grandchild, Olivia Jane. I love the name and am glad her parents weren't determined to name her something unique like 'Paper Cut' or spell her name in a way that would cause confusion between her and every teacher she has. She is healthy and her mother is doing well too and we are thankful for that.
But I can't help wishing I had a time travel camper that would carry me forward to see her future. She will be my age in 2089. What events and changes in the world will she have seen that we can't even imagine? Will she look at old photos of her grandparents and wonder what they did for fun or if they had nicknames or what kinds of food they wouldn't eat? What bits of culture will she see in those photos that she doesn't understand because they have completely disappeared by that time? Will her life be easier or more stressful?
The Circle of Life.
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