Casual Conversation

"Life is hard," Kevin joked when he stepped out of his truck after a long day at work. "Hurry, Daddy! It's raining!" Lily yelled to her Daddy in the driveway from the front porch. She ignored his comment, almost purposefully. She didn't care about his negative thoughts...her biggest worry at that moment was her Daddy was going to get rained on. It looked like to me that the rain was sporadic, with a rain drop falling every few seconds or so. I wouldn't even call it a sprinkle. But, I guess when you are two, rain is rain, no matter how hard it's coming down.

Kevin walked to the front porch and encouraged Lily to not grow up: "It's a lot easier being young with not a care in the world. Just stay little forever." he told her. "Okay, Daddy!" She takes every word he says to heart. I didn't really think about it at that moment, but later that night while taking a bath, she asked me if I would lay with her (something she has not been asking for a while now!)...She obviously knew she was heading to bed soon after her bath and was worried that she would have to go to bed by herself. I started to think about what her worries were. If I had it my way, she would have none but naturally that's not the case. She's two and I've witnesssed firsthand her little mind churning and her verbalizing her worries. She worries about the little things: her Daddy getting wet from the rain, her Mommy laying in the bed with her in order to keep her company, what she is having for a snack, what we're doing that day, what she's going to drink when she's thirsty, getting to "play a bit" before her nap, where we are going when we are driving in the car. As her mother, I would love for her worries to stay this small forever. If the biggest thing she had to worry about every day was what she was going to eat for a snack, she'd live a long, happy life. Wouldn't we all?

After I thought about their conversation, I challenged myself to try and be more like Lily. I should put more focus on what I can control (what I eat, my attitude, my outlook, the amount of patience I have, etc.) and less focus on the things I'll never be able change or avoid by worrying about them. I think if we all allowed ourselves to live through the eyes of an innocent child, we just might surprise ourselves on how non-judgemental, easy-going, and happy we'd all be. It's amazing what I learn each day from my children. Let's just say, she makes it look easy.