Specializing in
Alzheimer's Care
EdItoR's NoTe
Bloomfield Healthcare
Prottd1 Presents
i •
•
Surprise!
hen I turned 1 8
— so many,
many years ago
— an acquaintance did
something marvelous for me:
she threw me a surprise party.
I was absolutely, complete-
ly in the dark about the
whole thing. What a fun and won-
derful feeling when I opened the
door and everyone jumped out of a
dark room and called (you guessed
it), "Surprise!"
Of course, as you get older and
have children and settle down, life
isn't quite so full of surprises, and
frankly, you're glad. I don't need to
be surprised by hearing that one of
my children invited a friend over
without checking with me first, or
that another needs six blue-and-
green pencils with pink tassels at
the top for b school project —
tomorrow. I don't need to be sur-
prised, as I was this very evening,
to learn that my son suddenly no
longer likes hot dogs, potatoes or
corn off the cob, which is what we
were having for dinner. Above all, I
don't want any sad surprises. Ever.
I like a normal, regular day. I like
to know that life will go smoothly,
predictably, gently. Okay, so maybe
I'll have a little healthy angst if Ridge
and Brooke have yet another fight
on The Bold and the Beautiful."
That's enough. Mere existence —
getting in and out of a car with three
children on a snowy day, wondering
what to pack for my daughter's
lunch, trying to be polite, if firm, with
telemarketers — is all I can take.
For my children, though, the word
surprise" conjures such magical
visions. "Surprise"' means nothing
but fun and good everywhere, all
shining and sparkling, like glitter.
I have recently instituted a new
program in our home. My 5-year-
old son, Yitz, calls it "Surprise Day."
All it means is something
out of the ordinary, some-
thing unexpected. Several
weeks ago Yitz's big sister,
Adina, went to play with a
friend for the day, again,
and they were going to the
movie. No one invited Yitz
over that day. Again.
"I wish we could do something
fun," I told him, lying. "But I've got
a few chores and you're going to
have to come with me, I'm afraid."
He was a good sport. "All right,"
he said, though his little voice was
heavy with sadness.
We headed out, and I kept him
going until we were inside, and the
smell of popcorn and candy was
overwhelming. "No chores today," I
said finally. "We're going to see
The Rugrats Movie."
His tiny body trembling with
excitement, Yitz jumped up and
down and gazed at me with an
expression of such gratitude. He
kissed my hand, many times.
Sometimes, Surprise Day is small,
like an unannounced trip for ice
cream or to a dollar store for a
treat. It might mean a movie that
evening, instead of picking up the
playroom. Sometimes, it's adven-
ture, like Discovery Zone. The only
requirement: It's a surprise.
Surprise Day has never failed to
moke my children happy, and watch-
ing them in such moments makes my
whole world seem sparkling and
new and shiny, like glitter.
Elizabeth Applebaum
AppleTree Editor
Elizabeth Applebaum welcomes your
comments about this or any other col-
umn. Please contact her by voice mail
at (248) 354-6060 ext. 308, or by e-
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