Dylan is a self-proclaimed “lover of everyone.” On a good day, this means his heart is open to give and receive compassion, kindness, and friendship. Yesterday morning, he drew a picture (of a Christmas tree) for his (Jewish) friend’s new baby brother. A few weeks ago, when he saw trash in the parking lot at Petco, he said, “Don’t people know it’s Earth Day?” On other days, his wide-open heart is exposed and vulnerable. Like when he asked, “When your body is broken and your heart is broken, do you die?” Or when he sobbed for an hour after watching “The Lion King.”
My “lover of everyone” lives his life with his heart on his sleeve, and when he loves, he does so deeply and with great passion. For better or for worse – but mostly for better – Dylan’s compass is his heart, and it’s with his heart that he’ll navigate his beautiful life. As his Mama, I couldn’t be more proud.
For a pre-Kindergarten graduation video being made at school, all of the children were interviewed and asked what they want to be when they grow up. This question has been posed to Dylan many times before, and depending on his love affair at the time, his answers have ranged from race car driver (“Cars”) to rock star (he had a short-lived obsession of singing Matchbox Twenty’s “Push” into a microphone) to engineer who builds cities (Legos) to Jedi (“Star Wars”) to a daddy (my personal favorite). Dylan’s answer to this timeless question a few weeks ago at school was…wait for it…a popcorn maker.
You heard me right. A popcorn maker.
About a week before he declared his dream of making popcorn for, in his words, “all the people in the world,” his Aunt Heather surprised him and Riley with an Orville Redenbacher Hot Air Popper and jumbo popping corn, which makes, in Dylan’s words, “big popcorn.” We’ve been eating a lot of big popcorn since the air popper arrived on our doorstep.
Of course Dylan wants to be a popcorn maker when he grows up! Of course my lover of everyone wants to make popcorn for all of the people in the world! It’s a perfect dream for a boy whose heart always leads the way.
Editor’s note: When pressed further about his popcorn-making dream, Dylan told me he wants to sell popcorn at the movie theater. [Insert record scratch.] I stopped asking him questions after that.
On the morning of Dylan’s pre-Kindergarten graduation, I can’t help but marvel at the person he’s become. His unfiltered hopes and dreams remind me a little bit of myself when I was younger. At his age, I merely aspired to be a waitress (remember my scrapbook?), but as a teenager, I wanted to change the world. I wanted people to be kind and recycle, and by the time I reached college, I wanted to fulfill my dream of being a dancer. Thanks to the support of my loving and open-minded parents, I did just that. I followed my heart, and my dream for Dylan and Riley is for them to do the same.
Epilogue
To my dearest popcorn maker,
Happy Pre-Kindergarten Graduation! My dream is for all of your dreams to come true. If it rains on this beautiful day, I hope we see big drops of popcorn falling from the sky. If a rainbow appears after the storm, I hope the arc of color leads us to a pot bursting with golden corn. And tonight before bed, we’ll make a wish under a moonlit sky that I hope is full of bright popping stars.
I love your beautiful heart and will share kisses – and popcorn – with you forever.
Love,
Mommy
The Runaway Mama by Jen Gregory 