Forget the Dirty Floors, For Now

Yesterday was Lillian’s first softball game. It was an away game and Sheena and I drove to South high school and found our place in the bleachers. It was hot under the August sun and I thought of all the things I could be accomplishing at home. I had to mop the floor, fix dinner, etc. At the risk of sounding like my mom, “I’m not the kind to sit around.”

But as the game progressed, I noticed something. These girls were having fun.  They were celebrating each other’s successes, and encouraging one another through their challenges. I know, I know. That’s what teams do. But seeing this level of sincerity from high school girls was eye-opening for me. So I relaxed and watched, and more importantly, learned from these girls. My dirty floors will still be there when I get home.

This morning I did my usual daily chores plus the extra I threw in for fun (yeah, right). Of course this included mopping the muddy floors. I started bitching to myself about having to do it when Spider walked her little kitten ass across my clean floor and stopped to meow at me. I followed her into the living room to see what she wanted. She had a little plastic spring toy that she was playing with. She smacked it around and it rolled under the entertainment center. A little distressed she tried to get it out but her arms weren’t long enough to reach. So she rubbed on my legs to ask for help. I grabbed something long to fish it out and also fished out two others that were trapped under there.

Of course I was obligated to play with her, I couldn’t leave her hanging all alone with her toys. I remembered the girls’ game last night and it helped me let go a little. We played and Spider purred a song of contentment.  When she was done and tired and slightly bored, she walked away with a little indignation and I finished mopping my floors.

I’m grateful for simple lessons, no matter how small we think they may be. If we’re too busy to pay attention, we cease to be human beings and become human doings. And I don’t want to miss out on the simple things, like play time.