Jelly Beans Provoke Pondering

Today we went with some new friends to South Carolina to a giant kids' museum called Edventure. It was in lieu of the zoo - which was our original aim - but has become a welcome addition among our favorite places to take Greta and eventually Wyatt, too. On the drive there, Greta was munching away on jelly beans and I began to think about her. I'm not sure if I can describe the feelings exactly, but they were overwhelming at the time. Here goes: Greta doesn't like purple jelly beans. Not just because of the color, but because she actually does not like the taste of them. We've tried to fool her by sneaking them into the mix, but she always knows and out they come, all mangled and wet. What's more, she has a particular way of eating jelly beans. First, she sucks on them for awhile and then she chews them up just a little. At that point, she takes them out of her mouth, holds them up for me to examine, and says, "Gum!". I was thinking that if Greta has developed in such outwardly obvious ways as to dislike all purple jelly beans and to even have a ritualistic way of ingesting them, what other miracles of growth have happened to her along her journey these last two and a half years of her precious life? She must also have learned a great deal about love and sadness. About curiosity and fear. What makes her nervous or ecstatic? Are those things predictible? Which of her personality traits are actually just that - - and which are phases she will go through and move on from? What has become a rock solid bit of Greta's make-up and what is something she will outgrow in a month or so? In the recent days, I have come to realize that I am captivated by her - - watching her unfold to a world that is new in every way. When will it seem old to her? Little things must be learned and there is so very much for her to discover. Greta bites her nails. Will she still do this when she is thirty-six years old, as does her mother? She seems to need abundant hugs and touch. Will she eventually crave this in large quantities from her future partner? Greta enjoys spreading a blanket out completely with all the edges just so. Will she one day need such order? I am learning who this person is becoming, and it is a great show. What stays and what departs - - now that is the question.