I’ve written before about Hectic Grandson and how I’m probably learning more from him than he’s learning from me. Since I’ve got an awful lot of bad habits…that’s probably a good thing. It is fascinating to watch a baby grow into a crawler and a crawler grow into a toddler. He’s firmly grounded in that very beginnings of toddler-hood now. He’s mastered the art of standing, and can easily cruise from one piece of furniture to another. He’ll still resort to crawling to get places, but it won’t be long before he’ll be toddling about the room on his own two feet without anyone holding his hands.

But in reality, he hasn’t taken that first real step yet. I over-reached last week and commented that he was “walking”. We’re going to chalk that up to an over-excited grandpa. A first-time grandpa. Somebody who wants each milestone to be reached early.

While watching those first attempts at walking on his own, I’ve learned a lot about taking chances. You see, crawling is a pretty safe endeavor. Crawling on his belly has been part of Hectic Grandson’s repertoire for a number of months now. There’s tons of safety in army crawling. You don’t bump your head on much, and if you fall…how far can you really fall? Two inches? When he graduated to crawling on all fours, the number of head bumps increased. He’d crawl under the table and then lift up…banging his head. Occasionally his arms and legs would get out of synch and he’d go down. But when you consider that the entire crash as something like six inches…how bad could it be? The screams and crying notwithstanding. Actually, he’s a tough cookie and hasn’t really had all that many crashes. And the few times he’s wiped out while crawling have led to virtually no crying. If anything, we’ll get a wail of frustration, but he hasn’t been hurt, and he knows it. Like I said, tough kid.

Now that standing and eventually walking are on the agenda though, the stakes are higher. He’s spent most of his time falling onto his diapered bottom, so there’s not only cushion, but none of the fear of seeing the ground approaching. He’ll get there, and he’s going to have some bumps and bruises. It happens. But he’s well-prepared for those face-plants. I’m not sure I am, but he’s certainly ready.

I’ve caught myself watching his standing, alone in the middle of the room, working through the machinations of this walking thing. He’s a very smart little man, and he seems to understand the mechanics. He’s even lifted one foot in a tentative gesture towards locomotion. But to this point, his foot has returned to it’s place, firmly planted in place. The risk hasn’t been worth the reward. But as I said…it’s coming…and coming soon. Really soon.

But all this watching him has got me to thinking about my blog and the other ideas that I have roiling about in my head. I’ve lifted my virtual ideas up off the ground a bit, but each time have found a reason to return them to the idea-bin…not quite ready for primetime. Part of my original reason for starting this blog was to prove to myself that I had the ability to be a consistent writer. Someone who could create content on a regular basis. Not necessarily the most stunning content on the planet, but something that at least a few people might read.

I took some tentative steps towards consistency, but I’ve also taken some spills along the way. Each time I’ve stumbled, I’ve had some trouble getting back up and going. It’s just safer to crawl along and not really put myself out there. To not take chances. To stay with the things that I’m comfortable with and just dabble in blogging.

Yet as I’ve watched Hectic Grandson take the tiniest of baby steps, I’ve realized that it’s time for me to get things going on a bigger scale. To take some chances. To realize that the skinned knees, elbows, and chin are just part of the game. You get back up and keep going. Eventually, just like a toddler learning to walk, things will get easier with time. Then will come running. Bigger risks, bigger falls. But rewards far beyond what crawling could ever provide.

So once again, my little guy has taught me an invaluable lesson about my business ideas and life itself. You just have to take chances and let things happen.

Honestly, it’s great to have such a wonderfully creative teacher!