“What on earth am I supposed to do with this?” I asked, holding up the wooden top my grandfather had just gifted me.
It looked like it had spun right out of a museum. Old-fashioned, rough at the edges, with a bit of string wrapped around it. I mean, hello? I had apps, reels, and games that could make entire worlds appear at the tap of a screen. And here was this… top.
But when your eighty-three-year-old grandfather, with eyes that still twinkle like freshly polished marbles, says, “Try it, you’ll learn something,” you listen.
So, I tried. And failed. Spectacularly.
The top slipped, stumbled, and on one memorable attempt, flew straight under the sofa. The cat gave me her usual disapproving look, as though I had disturbed her personal kingdom, and stalked off haughtily.
“Keep trying,” Grandpa chuckled. “The top only listens to balance.”
Balance. I rolled my eyes but wound the string again.
It took me seven tries (and one quick attempt to Google: how to spin a top), but when it finally spun, it was magic. The top whirred smoothly, steady and still at the same time, as if it knew exactly what it was doing.
And then I saw it. The wisdom hidden in plain sight.
The top spun best when I held it at the center. Just like me, steady only when I find my center.
The faster the top spun, the calmer it looked. A reminder that speed doesn’t always mean chaos, with the right rhythm, it can mean flow.
And when the top wobbled before toppling over? That was life telling me to pause before I crash.
By the time Grandpa patted my head and shuffled off for his nap, I was smiling. Who knew an old toy could outwit the smartest screen?
Turns out, staying on top of life isn’t about doing it all. It’s about knowing where your balance is.
This post was created for the Blogaberry Creative (Monthly) Challenge with theme word ‘Top’, for September.
I really enjoyed how you turned something simple like spinning a top into a metaphor for finding balance in life.
Such an endearing tale of how a Top can lead us to perform our best by helping us find balance. Loved reading it.
It’s amazing how a simple toy can be such a powerful life metaphor, isn’t it? Sometimes the oldest lessons are the ones we need most
Life is all about finding balance. So ironic that a simple humble toy like a top, can teach us such deep lessons.
I loved your story of the old-top and your grandfather’s wisdom. It’s a beautiful reminder that real balance often comes when we slow down and center ourselves, not just act fast. Thanks for sharing this gentle nudge toward intentional living.