10 February 2026, Freewriters Community Daily Writing Prompt Day 3010: bound to fail

“I don't know why this is so hard for people to understand. If you need ten Legos to build something, and you bring five, it ain't gonna work, so why do that with bricks and metal and stuff?”

“Ain't it the truth, Grayson, but remember, bonus grandson, that adults like to play pretend way more than children do.”

Six-year-old Grayson Ludlow was sitting in the lap of Gladys Jubilee Trent, also known as Grandma Jubilee. Eight-year-old Gracie Trent had brought her friend over to get some wisdom and understanding from Grandma Jubilee, and as always, Grandma Jubilee was delivering.

“They do?” Grayson said.

“Yep,” Grandma Jubilee said. “We will do stuff that is bound to fail, just to see if we can get away with it and fool other people – we love to play pretend, and the main thing is, people love to play pretend that they are God and can do whatever they want.”

Grayson and Gracie considered this.

“Well, that's dumb,” Gracie said.

“But I can understand why, though,” Grayson said. “I love to build my own stuff, and, maybe people just get stuck there.”

“You do understand as much as a six-year-old can, Grayson – it is kind of like getting stuck,” Grandma Jubilee said.

“On stupid,” Gracie said.

“Yes, that too, Gracie, because look here: the two of you know that if it takes ten Legos, it takes ten Legos. You obey reality. If your elders tell you it's time to eat or do chores, you do go do that. You obey what we call legitimate authority, which is to say that you recognize your parents and grandparents and even big siblings have the right to tell you what to do.

“When you get to be an adult, there are not always as many legitimate authorities telling you what to do every day, but there's always going to be reality. Physics is one of them. If you put a 90-foot pylon down where you need a 200-foot pylon to reach bedrock in a watery situation, you are disobeying physics, meaning you are disobeying reality.”

Grayson and Gracie considered this.

“Physics sure does know how to hand out some punishment,” Grayson said. “Bayard Heights is gone.”

“Ain't it the truth,” Gracie said.

“And that's the thing: physics don't care how you come out here playing pretend,” Grandma Jubilee said. “This is also why God said to not only obey His Word, but obey all authority that comes from Him. It's safer that way. The laws of nature are a kind of authority, too.”

“Which is why if you need your pylons to be 200 feet long, you need that,” Grayson said.

“It's like breaking the speed limit, backwards, though,” Gracie said.

“Yep,” Grandma Jubilee said, “which also tells you: don't get in cars and do projects with people in the habit of disobeying reality. If the project takes ten Legos, and folks can't count to ten or are trying to explain to you how they can do it with any number but ten, walk away.”

“Wait a minute,” Grayson said. “How young do you have to be to not be able to count to ten? I'm six and I've been doing that since forever – and I was in foster care part of that time, and I still learned!”

“I don't know how old you need to be to be sure you know,” Grandma Jubilee said, “since a whole bunch of people signed off on those pylons being 200 feet, but the real count was 90.”

“OK, that's just scary,” Gracie said. “You mean there are grown folks who don't count well enough to know the difference? The only way you can do that is just to have a pile of 90 things there and just say it looks like enough and give up!”

“Yeah, but I get it,” Grayson said. “I am three feet nine inches tall, so it all looks taller to me.”

“Which means,” Grandma Jubilee said, “it's not whether people can figure it out, but whether they care enough.”

“That's it,” Grayson said. “People are too busy playing pretend than to care. That's why everything is messed up.”

“But the Lord always has people that He sends to set things right again,” Grandma Jubilee said as she kissed Grayson on his forehead, “and it looks like you're one of them, bonus grandson.”

“Ain't it the truth,” Gracie said.

“Yeah, I'm definitely on that,” Grayson said. “I've been told I gotta finish first grade before I can get the permits I need, but, I'm definitely on that. Next year, though.”