What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger

Cue Kelly Clarkson – https://youtu.be/Xn676-fLq7I

Came across this article today that refers to a study that suggests that caring for your grans my help us geriatrics maintain a relatively decent, out-of-the-nursing-home, cognitive level.

Caring for Grandkids May Give the Brain a Boost

Which confirms an earlier post I came across on Instagram.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CzjJtx1nE

Despite my knowing that this is propaganda being released on social media by my children’s generation – all looking for free babysitting – I can see how the proposed theory would work.

When Binge Watching TV Overcomes Circadian Rhythm – The Wise Novelist

Pure Darwinism. Survival of the fittest. I try to share my travails as often as possible.

Super Moon, Indeed – The Wise Novelist

Second One-On-One with Nona for a Day – The Wise Novelist

Being Dude & Nona – The Wise Novelist

When Is Soup A Meal? – The Wise Novelist

Luckily, my advanced level childhood reading taught me all of the tricks I needed to prevent falling prey to my grans’ shenanigans.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1AnMWecwTo

Spy vs. Spy – Wikipedia

The Addams Family: The nature of their curse. : r/FanTheories

And I cannot lie; my grans have developed wonderfully mischievous personalities to go along with their preternatural health and elven beauty. Thankfully the McCaffreys always seem to up their genetic markers by marrying well.

When I sat down to write TWA, my youngest gran, Stella, had not yet been born. Given that I never thought the first novel would see the light of day, I took full advantage of my position as God in my literary universe to invoke the full nepotism rule and work the then three grans – Lucian, Scarlett and Savanna – into Claire’s backstory. They were all about the same ages as the characters named after them, so it was easy to fit them into the video playing in my head.

But my reasons were selfish. I wanted to tie in the last generation of my branch of the family tree with whom I may actually have physical contact with and create memories for my final chapter of my journey here on Mother Gaia (but I intend to maintain contact in ethereal form once I do cross the veil – I’m going to do my best to scare the shit out of them).

But, until then . . . .

Lucian is every bit as cool as his character.

Lucian Mattiace Gets His Earring – The Wise Novelist

Scarlett has that “it girl” aura.

Shake It Off, Scarlett Rose – The Wise Novelist

Savanna is deeper, a little more reserved, and wonderfully spooky.

Happy Birthday Savanna Joy – The Wise Novelist

Their personalities blended well with the fabric of The Claire Saga storyline.

When Stella, who was not yet a twinkle in her parents’ eyes during the writing of TWA, and was only in utero when AAA was published, came along, I knew I had to work her into the Claire Universe. Luckily, my publisher wanted more stories, so I took the opportunity to work her into KMAG as the hybrid warrior, future leader of Proxima b.

I called Stella’s personality months before she arrived in this world.

Yes, her Bronx genes quickly dominated her personality. Note, I hope to make her (and the rest of her sibling and cousin’s generation) as eternally famous as the Winnie the Pooh character she is repping in that photo (for the record, I blame her Aussie genes for the salute, which has a long and venerable history.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1am52Z7LY1

And since I may not be around for their adult years, I did my best to project their personalities into the future in Where The Ley Lines Meet. I hope some late 21st century PhD Literature candidate does a thesis on whether or not I nailed it.

Anyway, despite my complaining, which I’ve raised to an artform as a Grumpy Old Man,

Grumpy Old Man – The Wise Novelist

I do enjoy my compelled contact with my grans. They are funny as fuck and refuse to take any shit from me. That means they won’t take any shit from the assholes of the world.

And that constant barrage of “piss-off” attitude keeps my Bronx-born neurons alive and my NYC survival synapses firing.

So, for you fine, five readers that have grandchildren – including Eileen Cotto who in early and eternally fertile Collins’ Clan fashion has launched a generation of great-(great?) grandchildren – Eileen, you minx – I say we might as well embrace the obligation of teaching them all of the bad and funny tricks of the trade that will make them really cool adults someday.

And it really is the best unpaid job in the world.

Well, today is another magic Friday. Act accordingly. The weekend is waving you into the shotgun seat and the classic rock station is blasting on the stereo. Don’t look back.

And no matter what else we get up to, let us make today a great one.