I had no idea there was such a thing as a domino train, but once I saw it, I decided it was a must for grandma’s house.
Could I take the same approach we’d taken for generations—placing the dominos, one by one, in our own patterns? Of course. But this would be a new adventure.
If you haven’t seen one, there’s a long case that slides into the top of the train. Fill the case and slide it in place, then flip the on switch, and watch the train proceed to dump one domino at a time in a line, curve, or circle. For a longer chain of dominoes, fill the train multiple times. Then it’s time to nudge the first domino and watch them fall!
It’s a satisfying experience. Or perhaps it’s just me.
I’ll still place dominoes by hand to build designs with my grandchildren, because the effort and creativity is worth the effort. I’ll still get frustrated when we accidentally nudge the chain prematurely, but we’ll giggle and start again.
It reminds me to take different approaches. The new way isn’t always the best way but neither is the old way. The new toy isn’t always the best toy but neither is the old toy. The new parenting approach isn’t always the best way but neither is the old way. We don’t always develop the best solutions for trying to make something easier or better. But we’ve definitely made improvements in many areas, and we don’t want to diminish the result or the lessons we learned along the way.
There are lessons to learn in every area of our lives and culture. Embrace the old when the stability makes sense. Embrace the new when advancements make sense. Keep moving forward but don’t forget what is behind.
Pure Purpose 