I Do It!

On my lunch hour today I spotted a little girl, dressed in purple, run ahead of her mother to drop a letter into the mailbox outside the pharmacy. She must have been about five years old, and looked so happy to be doing this little job.  You should see the pride on her face that she did it all by herself.

A memory suddenly struck me; an image of myself crossing the street at the corner by the bank, running ahead of my mom to put her mail in the mailbox. Then I would cross the street again and trail behind her to the grocery store. We always walked because the store and the corner with the mailbox were so close.

I remember the pride I felt in being helpful and doing a chore all by myself...even if mom was just a few yards away keeping tabs on me. It feels so good to be independent and helpful!

This in turn made me realize something else, something much more important. On mornings like today when it takes an extra five minutes just to get Ian dressed for the day because he is insistent that "I do it!" (I meaning him) I should push back the frustration that we are tuning late and let him take the lead. I might be a few minutes late for work but he is learning and I love the thought of the pride he must feel in accomplishing something for himself.

I love it when the universe finds a way of showing me something I should have realized all along but needed a nudge to remember.