Would anyone disagree if I said that life can be a really tough place to be sometimes? Let's face it, the world is full of heartache, worry, and difficult decisions. Some days seem quite dark, and the real, eternal, and purposeful reason for life seems very dim in comparison. Unfortunately, I am only human, and this morning, as I approached the day, I admit "half-empty" seemed to arrive like an uninvited guest, parking itself on the couch of my attitude, refusing to clean up after itself.
In an effort to focus on the positive, I decided to go for a walk around our neighborhood, which is one of my favorite places to be. Though trying to concentrate on God's plan for me, and the needlessness of worry, I found myself not walking, but moping up and down the streets, wondering why I can't just have all the answers and be a millionaire (sound familiar to anybody?). In a nutshell, I was being a huge mugwump, convinced I would never smile again!
At about the halfway point I turned a corner where a little boy, about age 4, was playing on his trampoline. As I walked by with a carefully crafted scowl on my face he gives me a huge missing-toothed grin and says "Hey Banana Peel!" I kept walking, thinking he must not have been talking to me. Not satisfied with my response he calls out "Hey Weirdy!" And despite my best efforts I began to crack a smile. Still I kept walking, faster now, but he wouldn't let me go. I looked over my shoulder to peek at this little imp who had unwittingly cracked my iron clad blues, and saw that he had managed to bounce even higher while enjoying a case of intense giggles...at my expense! With one last attempt to escape his threateningly infectious cheer, I marched on. And just when I thought I was safe from the onslaught of four year old glee, he gave it his best shot, shouting at the top of his lungs "HEY BANANA PEEL!"
And I cracked up. So now there were two of us managing our daily exercise while indulging in a delicious helping of sheer silliness. His giggles are with me now even as I think about it. And just like that, "half-full" isn't so far beyond my reach.
I think today I will invite it in for a while.
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2 comments:
I love it. Well, not that your day started out crappy, but that the kid wouldn't give up; he insisted you at least smile!
Sally, my goodness. This is such a great post! I love how God used that little boy to crack your shell! And I love that you let him.
Banana Peel. :)
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