Legoland Birthday Magic

In this episode, Legoland Birthday Magic . . .
By: Patrick Ball and Gemini

Good morning! A grand notion, a fanciful spree!

Let's twist up a tale for all folks to see!

From Carlsbad, California, the clouds they did gleam,

On LEGOLAND wonders, a birthday dream!

Young LUCA, the lad turned precisely six years,

With JULIAN, his brother, dispelling all fears!

A baggie he clutched, with small figures inside,

For trading and swapping, with a joyful stride!

But then! A new twist, a high-energy spree!

Forget little figures, let the youngsters run free!

In overcast skies, the LEGO bricks gleam,

But birthday boy LUCA was living a dream!

Not just Luca, oh no! Two pals joined the fray,

Young JULIAN, seven, to brighten the day!

And their curly-haired buddy, aged eight, with a giggle so grand,

Plus, one little lady skipping close at hand!

No slow strolls or glances, no careful, soft tread,

This crew was a whirlwind, right out of their head!

Like Zappers on race tracks, they zoomed and they flew,

A blur of bright colors, for all folks to view!

They dashed past dragons, the boats on the tide,

With leaps and with bounds, nowhere left to hide!

A wrestling here, tumbling there, full of glee,

Like trying to catch chickens, for all eyes to see!

Their parents watched, with a smile and a sigh,

As their youngsters zipped past, was that super-fly!

“Keep close!” called Mama, “Don’t wander too far!”

But their speed and their wiggles were up to par!

Young Luca led charges, with laughter so bright,

Through LEGO-made forests, in glorious light!

They climbed up towers, then slid down so fast,

This birthday adventure was built to outlast!

One moment, a glimpse, a Mini-figure trade,

A quick little swap, and they resume the parade!

But then – WHOOSH! – they were off, in a blink and a stare,

The trading forgotten, they hadn’t a care!

It wasn’t the figures, the treasures so small,

But the running and chasing, that thrilled one and all!

The giggles and shouts, what a musical sound,

Pure energy bursting, all over the ground!

From DUPLO delights, to the lands mighty grand,

This boisterous brigade swept over the land!

No time for slow browsing, no time to peek,

They were living full throttle, it felt like a week!

So if you saw kiddos, a colorful streak,

A-zooming and zipping, like lightning so sleek!

That was Luca’s crew, on his birthday, so grand,

A whirlwind of wonder, in LEGO-made land!

For youth is a wonder, you must know,

With energy bursting, wherever they go!

A birthday remembered, in leaps and in play,

“Oh, to be young!” folks would happily say!

Happy Birthday, Luca!

I'm Patrick Ball. Stay curious and ask questions. I'll see you in the next episode.

Comments

Don Hanley said…

A beautiful poem and now find a bunch of pictures and publish a Susie-like book!

June 12, 2025 at 9:29 AM

Truth for Sale

This episode is inspired by Elton John & Bernie Taupin On Memorial Day, I took my first bike ride since the accident , seeking proof that my legs, lungs, and nerves still remembered the road. The morning air carried that familiar Southern California mix of ocean haze, exhaust, eucalyptus, and sun-baked asphalt. My tires hummed across pavement I’ve ridden for years. Somewhere between the steady click of the chain and the rhythm of my breathing, Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s The Captain and the Kid found its way into my ears. There’s a strange kind of magic when the cadence of a ride syncs perfectly with a song you know by heart. Suddenly, the music and lyrics stop being background noise and become a lens. And through that lens, the road started talking. I've been cycling on this road some, Can't help feeling I've been showing my friends around. I've seen it grow from next to nothing, To a giant eatin’ up our town. Called up the tealeaves and the tarots, Asked the...

Epictetus, Ego, and Acronyms

In this episode, Destroy Communication, One Three-Letter Acronym at a Time This week, I want to explore a deeply relatable, universally feared workplace character: the "know-it-all." Now, I’m not pointing fingers here. If we are being completely honest, we have all played this role. We've all uttered some version of, "Yes, absolutely, that aligns with our strategic objectives," while our internal monologue is screaming, "I don't even know what the objective is, let alone the strategy." What got me thinking about this was a chapter in Ryan Holiday's book, Wisdom Takes Work . Holiday leans on a powerful piece of Stoic truth from the ancient philosopher Epictetus: "It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows." It's a brilliant quote that strikes right at the heart of the human ego. You can't learn what you already know, and you certainly can't learn what you pretend to know to save face. Though to be ...

Breaking the Script

In this episode, The Art of the Short-Circuit. We spend a surprising amount of our lives on conversational autopilot. You see it everywhere. At the hardware store. At the post office. In office hallways, where two people can exchange greetings, discuss the weather, and continue on their way without either one actually hearing what the other said. "How are you?” "Good. You?” “Busy." “Yep." It's less of a conversation and more of a system check. Most of us aren't being rude. We're just moving fast. We have emails to answer, meetings to attend, errands to run, and a hundred other things competing for our attention. Before long, our interactions become little more than verbal lane markers helping us navigate the day. I like to break the script. When I run into someone, instead of the usual greetings, I'll ask: "What's the good word?” The reaction is almost always worth it. You can practically see the gears stop turning. People pause. They blink....

The Yellow Legal Pad

In this episode, the Art of Refiring July 1st is staring me in the face, less than two weeks away. For years, retirement seemed like something that happened to other people. Suddenly, it's on my calendar. I've been thinking a lot about the dreaded "R-word" lately. Not because I'm worried about having enough to do. Quite the opposite. What fascinates me is this strange paradox: Why does retirement make so many of us nervous, while having a job—even one that regularly drives us crazy—somehow feels comforting? Let's be honest. Most of us spend years complaining about meetings that should have been emails, reply-all disasters, impossible deadlines, and that one coworker who insists on microwaving leftover fish in the breakroom. Yet when the idea of walking away finally arrives, we hesitate. I think I've figured out why. A career isn't just a job. It's a highly structured coping mechanism. For forty-plus years, somebody else has basically decided what I...

On The Fly

Search This Blog