Somewhere to Anywhere to Nowhere

 "We can go from Somewhere to Anywhere to Nowhere." We would later contemplate adding Everywhere and Elsewhere to the possibilities. But she informed me they were not present, so we excluded them from further consideration.

She carried her scooter down the back steps of the house to the driveway, a recognition of both her strength and her fierce independence. On our right sat the reconfigured parts of what was originally to be a stand, upon which a soft tennis sized ball was to rest, waiting to be struck with some force by a relatively soft bat. Now it had morphed into her vision, the bat stuck inside the hole where the ball was supposed to be situated, the tiny picnic table moved into place near its target. In this version, called puff ball, I was to hold the ball perfectly still at the top of the bat, while she jumped off the picnic table and in mid flight swatted the ball out of my hand. At least, I reasoned, there were the implements of baseball involved. And maybe one day soon... And when she did occasionally swing the bat, it was actually a very reasonable facsimile of what was envisioned by Abner Doubleday.

She fastened her helmet, whose intended function was to insure safe passage during this scooter journey to Who Knows Where. My task was to give running commentary as she traveled from place to place. I reasoned that it was an important part of the equation I lagged far behind, as she had now begun to master the art of gliding at significant speed between pushes.

"We are Somewhere, heading to Nowhere" I announced. 

"No, no", she replied. "We are already Nowhere."

She headed down the driveway, leaving the back of the house and accelerating towards the front. There was some pitch as we neared the street, so I was hoping she had mastered the art of braking. While she knew the trick of placing one foot on the small lever at the back of the scooter, which would act to slow her momentum, her preferred method was to drag her free foot, the friction against the ground serving to reduce the rate of travel. It might not prove sufficient at warp speed.

She decided the front walkway was the destination of choice. Informing me, as she wandered to and fro in this small area, that she was now riding to Nowhere. Clearly, Nowhere was just about Everywhere today.

This dance continued for several minutes. To the front steps and then reversing course until she touched the driveway. Up and back, and then once more. Truly going Nowhere quickly.

And then, she decided our journey was over. She scooted back to the place of beginning. Carried the scooter up the back stairs and into the house. Game over. Except...

"Let's go back out and play Puff Ball."

And so, I headed to another adventure. Somewhere, Anywhere. As long as it is with her, it will never be to Nowhere.