Already a pro at teachable moments.

Byline: Bob Welch / The Register-Guard

Dear Cade,

Tonight we celebrate your first birthday. Can you believe it? Seems like only yesterday you were trying to mow down the rhododendrons at the church picnic with your plastic mower. Oh, wait, that was only yesterday.

But enough small talk. As a grandfather, I want to say thanks for all you've taught me in the past year.

You see, when you get to be an adult, you leave behind all these good things without even noticing - like the time we launched your great-grandparents' sailboat years ago and the plywood rudder disintegrated in our wake, making it really difficult to steer.

So here are my "Elite Eight" things you've taught me:

1. There's a lot to be said for a good nap. You always pretend you don't want to fall asleep, like you're a tough guy who absolutely must watch the ending of TV's "Bob the Builder" to see how Bob is going to solve the problem with the runaway road-striping machine. (I loved that episode.) But, admit it, you like to sleep. Me, too. I just don't get enough of it. Thanks for reminding me to take more naps.

2. Notice the little things. Nothing gets by you. I see it in your eyes. You don't just look at a leaf, you tilt your head and examine it. You touch it. Ponder it. (Cornus florida? Prunus serrulata?) And when a breeze wiggles it, you smile as if that leaf just whispered to you. Me? Sometimes I don't even see the tree, much less a single leaf. I'm too busy thinking about a million less important things. Thanks for reminding me to look for the whispering leaves.

3. Smile and the whole world acts as if you're the coolest thing since duct tape. Really. I remember the first time you smiled. The way we reacted you would have thought Kenny Wheaton was gonna score. But if people think it's so cool when babies smile, why don't they smile more as adults? When you grow up, smiling people become suspect. We wonder if they have hidden motives or once toured with "Up With People." Thanks for reminding me to smile more.

4. The goal in life is not comfort. You like a challenge. When you came to The Register-Guard recently, you crawled up 26 steps. It would have been easier to just sit at the bottom, but you wanted to see what was up top. When you arrived, you found me - yawn - and celebrated by trying to destroy my time card. Thanks for reminding me not to only wonder what's at the top of the mountain, but to make the climb.

5. Be spontaneous. You never have plans. You audible-ize your way through life, making decisions at the line of scrimmage. In a single minute, for example, you might pull the cat's tail, pound on your uncle's guitar and try to eat a paperback novel. No day-timer for you, kiddo! Thanks for reminding me to devour more books - on a whim.

6. Go for it. Remember when I took you to that Kidsports basketball game before you could walk? During timeouts, the referee would place the ball on the court. And you'd wiggle straight for that ball - until I grabbed you by the back of your sweatpants and pulled you backwards like a horizontal bungee-jump. Thanks for reminding me to leave it all on the floor.

7. Stop and smell the tulips, then rip them out by their roots and stomp on them. Well, OK, this is more your philosophy than mine, but you've got the first part down. Thanks for reminding me to slow down and smell the flowers.

8. Adapt to the situation at hand. You get hauled from event to event. In the past few weeks, you've been to weddings, funerals, spring football games, the works. But do you complain? Only when Brady Leaf threw that interception. You look at the bright side: At last year's spring game, you experienced it in utero. How fun can that be? Now you've seen the light. Thanks for reminding me that life is weddings (beginnings) and funerals (endings) and football (a series of beginnings and endings) - and there's goodness in each.

So happy birthday, Cade.

May you keep looking for those whispering leaves. Climbing those mountains. And smiling those smiles that warm a grandfather's heart.

Love, Grandbob