Health care is a basic human right, not a privilege. For some reason, we’ve allowed ourselves as Americans to be fooled into accepting that one must be blessed with “means” to actuate appropriate health care. As a nation we have failed to realize that our health care system is a barometer of our society’s value for human life.

-Me

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Four Years

What does one accomplish in four years?

You can start high school and graduate high school in four years. You can earn a bachelor’s degree. You can remodel your house (but hopefully it wouldn’t take that long!)

You can also:
1. learn to walk
2. learn to talk
3. learn to run
4. learn to sing
5. learn to smile
6. learn to laugh
7. learn to yell
8. learn to sneak
9. learn to lie
10. graduate from a crib, to a toddler bed, to a twin size bunk bed
11. learn to take your clothes off
12. learn to put your clothes on
13. learn to make a humongous mess
14. learn to clean up said humongous mess
15. learn to hate to clean up humongous messes

It is absolutely amazing the amount of accomplishments that can be achieved in four years. Four years.

Four years.

My peanut is four years old today. Four years ago I gave birth to a deliciously chunky and sweet baby girl. Four years later she is a jazzy cute and outspoken four year old. And I’m curious, as I reflect on four years of our lives celebrated on this day….What major accomplishments do you know of or have you personally accomplished in the span of four years?

8 comments:

Kris said...

Happy Birthday Gracie! Hope you have a great day. 4 is so much fun!

In 4 years I have learned a lot more about medical stuff than I ever thought I would. I have learned to become a "nurse" of sorts. I have learned that I can adapt to a new place and even love it better than the state I came from. I learned that being a mom of 3 and then 4 is not as scary as I thought it would be (it has it's moments, but I can handle it) I have learned a lot now that I think about it.

You are right. A lot can be learned in 4 years. Here's to another 4 years of learning! :o)

Vivian said...

Happy Happy Birthday to the Peanut!!
You are so right, four years can bring about a lot of things. The four years after Paul and I married brought 3 miscarriages and two beautiful, healthy children. The last four years has brought a move across country and two chronic illness diagnosis shocks.
Here is to wonderful things brought to all of us in the next four years. =)

Laura said...

Happpy Birthday Gracie

Minnesota Nice said...

Happy Birthday Gracie!!!
That's a very interesting question, Sarah. (And, who knows why I thought Gracie was about 9 - where did I get that from?)
My life is so bland and uneventful. I am really digging deep to think of 4 things in 4 years:
1) Proved to myself that I could successfully go an entire year without a car.
2) Was voted "employee with the most improved attitude" at work.
3) Lost a major amount of weight and gained most of it back.
4) Started blogging.
Oh, and 5) Gingerly petted an iguana.

Penny Ratzlaff said...

Happy birthday to Gracie!!!

justme said...

Happy Birthday Gracie!x

Bernard said...

Great point, I completely overlook how much our children accomplish in their first four years (and actually many of the four-year intervals since then).

I can pick a four-year period from some time ago. Some of the stuff I learned is miniscule compared to what our children manage to do.

1. Purchased our first house together. Good lessons in finance, choosing between alternatives and negotiation.
2. Got married. Good lessons in compromise and smiling.
3. Moved house.
4. Started studying for MBA at night. Learned how to learn again.
5. Started paperwork on adoption of our first child. (Lots of steps in here).
6. Starting learning some basic Mandarin. Ouch my brain hurts.
7. Received paperwork from China for our first child. And cried a lot at the beautiful picture.
8. Waited a long time to travel (sometimes not so patiently). Good lesson on waiting here.
9. Traveled to China for 2 weeks to adopt her. Good chance to practice Chinese.
10. Started new job.
11. Stopped working towards MBA. I'm not that crazy.
12. Got used to a permanently changed life. Good life-lesson here that I'm still learning.
13. Traveled to Ireland with 9-month old to visit grandparents. Learned how to maintain a semblance of control.

Whew, I'm glad I was younger then.

Bernard said...

Sorry,

I was so busy with my silly list, I forgot to wish Gracie the best of birthdays. Four is such a great age.