Day 108 ~ A Real Time Saver

Day 108 ~ A Real Time Saver

Apr 18, 2014     

My first: My grandson Tyler and I prepared and buried a time capsule.

It was the night for me to help my mom peel potatoes for her potato salad that she always makes for our Easter feast. Since my dad’s passing, she likes for me to be there so his void is not so painful. My daughter Robin brought my grandson Tyler over to join in and to spend the night with me. Mom and I had a good time chatting with Tyler once we got him off the kick of talking about his victories (and defeats) playing GTA, #Grand Theft Auto (a video game). Tyler told me to insert the hashtag (#).

When Tyler and I left to go to my house, I told him that I still had to do my “first” for the day. It dawned on me to do a time capsule with him! We both loved the idea. I suggested that we each write a letter to “Dear Time Capsule” and explain where we are in our lives right now. Tyler went right to work and composed a very concise letter in no time. I did the same but not in “no time”. I asked what else can we put in the time capsule and Tyler recommended the perfect idea…a snippet of our hair. I grabbed a pair of scissors and cut away, taped each lock of hair to its respective letter, inserted the letters into zip-lock baggies, and placed them into a plastic jar. A “selfie” was next on the agenda and then off we drove to our secret hiding place to “plant” the capsule.

An escapade like this can feel even more venturesome when executed in the dark. Our flashlights led the way: first to a clearing, then to a path veering to the right, then finally to a bush near two towering trees. We scoped the area for more landmarks to remember our spot. I started to dig...Tyler continued until the hole was ample size. We placed the jar in the cavity and covered her up! I had a heart-shaped stone that my friend Mary from Virginia gave me which we used to mark the spot. I covered the freshly dug-up dirt with leaves so no one wandering around would be curious about our burial.

During the walk back to my car, I counted 45 paces to where the trail veered to the right to our “grave”. We decided that in five years on April 18, 2019 we would retrieve our time capsule and read our letters. We could leave it undisturbed “forever” for someone else to discover centuries from now…but who better to revisit this moment than Tyler and his grandma!