A friend reads Disappointment and sends the following text message:
“Regarding Disappointment, lots of feels.”
Then over comes a photo of a quote on the fridge at his house:
When little people are overwhelmed by Big Emotions, it’s our job to share our calm. Not join in their chaos.
And there’s not much more I need to write about it, is there? We hardened grownups try so desperately to out-yell our noisy children, so badly do we want to be heard. To out-argue the logic of a toddler, who thinks that a prolonged wail about something seemingly inane is a useful step toward acquiring it. This is a person who actually believes: “Maybe biting her will get me what I want!”
We grownups dull our own Big Emotions with computer time. Netflix binges. One more beer than we are actually able to taste. But where can we find the reserve of calm, that line of desperately needed defense between our own fragility and our child’s meltdowns? A five minute meditation app. The Lord Is My Shepherd I Shall Not Be… A series of deep breaths, so face scrunchingly exaggerated, blown out with such slobbery lip flapping, that everyone collapses into giggles. The choice, once everyone is in bed and the house looks like a tornado has hit, to first sit and do exactly what feeds your soul, tripping hazards and blueberries staining the hardwood floors be damned. The blueberries can wait because what good is a nice looking floor if you’re too chronically infuriated to notice it?
These are hard choices to make, but we must increase our calm. Sanity first. You will need it when those teeth come a-biting for your thigh.
Post 26 of 40 Daze: A Lenten Writing Practice
The Lord is my shepherd I shall not be
in want
He makes me to lie down
in green pasture he restores my soul
he guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake yea though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil
for you are with me
your rod and your staff, they comfort me
you prepare a table before me in
the presence of
my enemies
you anoint my head with oil my cup
runneth over
surely goodness and mercy will
follow me
all the days of my life and I
will dwell in the house of the Lord
my God
forever and ever
– Psalm 23