What a week it has been! Every time I was ready to sit down and share some thoughts – something else would happen either to me or around me. I would think, “Hmm, I have some thoughts about this and I’ll write about that.” But the events I am thinking of have been discussed over and over again. At the end of the day, I believe that if “you haven’t walked in those shoes, then judgment needs to be held back.”
So, I won’t be writing about the young woman who moved to Oregon and her life choices. I won’t be commenting on anything having to do with the Baltimore Ravens. I’m not interested in discussing health care, elections or the economy. Really, I don’t want to dwell on all the “strange” behavior that people do which results in their story dominating the local news reports, national news coverage, social media and magazine covers. It is not that I don’t have my opinions and many of them, I think, may be quite similar to yours. But when you know that you have limited time here and that your health is not doing as well as it once was; that as technology moves us forward, it would be nice to hear about all the good that happens in the world. Let’s retell the stories of the child that rescued a baby kitten found in the woods, or reward our young children when they are good citizens, as well as give them positive feedback when they make eye contact when speaking to others, and especially remember that people deserve to be given respect and many other positive behaviors that require face to face-share the same air interactions.
A few nights ago my teenage daughter was having trouble falling asleep and asked me to come in and sit with her for a few minutes. Of course I relished in this opportunity because the older she gets the less frequently I get to recreate this moment. I asked her what was bothering her and she tells me that she can’t believe in a few quick years she will be living on her own, whether it be in a college dorm or something else. My reply was surprise and astonishment and even had to ask her to repeat herself. She tells me that she just doesn’t want to grow up so fast. Now I am speechless because this is a child who at age 2 was ready to be independent and in charge. To hear her share with me that she isn’t ready to grow up was so special. You see, in my opinion, this is what is happening to my kids. It is so hard to shield them from the actions and topics that they really don’t need to worry about at their age. For me, knowing that my time is limited, I feel the pressure to get my two cents in and create as many teachable memorable moments that I can. But many times I am so tired when the moment comes that my reaction/response does not always come across the way I was hoping. Or we all end up communicating via text or email because it is easier but far less meaningful. It is hard to not want to leave your mark on your loved ones and hope that they can read between the lines of your stress, pain, exhaustion, and fear. It is difficult to not want everything to be perfect right now for them so that you know they have seen the most positive side of life and that there is more good in the world than not and that it really is okay to not “grow up” so fast. But to savor the moments of being young and slightly irresponsible and to have the confidence in themselves and those that love them to know they are and will be as safe as humanly possible from “things we don’t want to write about.”
Have a good week, I won’t be blogging until again until the weekend of Nov. 21. Have a great week and go give some people you love a “real” hug and talk about the positive wonderful things that can and could happen in today’s world.