Friday, April 5, 2013

Lessons in Perspective

As we drove past a park last night on the way to gymnastics, Alyssa announced, “Softball is stupid.”

Olivia laughed because she thinks the word ‘stupid’ is funny. And she thinks Alyssa is funny so when Alyssa says something is stupid, it’s hilarious.

I thought about it for a minute. I am not a fan of softball myself, granted, but I thought this was sort of a teachable moment.

I asked her if she’d ever played softball.

Alyssa admitted that she hadn’t. I suggested that if she were to play the game, she might actually like it. I also pointed out that softball players might think gymnastics is stupid.

All this was said very conversationally, no lectures necessary.

Alyssa gave it a little thought and recanted her story about softball being stupid. She admitted that just getting outside and playing anything was better than sitting around inside all day.

That’s my girl.

She told me later that evening that her best friend had gone home early from school that day. She (the best friend, T) had been crying.

I asked Alyssa why T was crying. She shrugged and said, “I think she missed her dad.”

T’s dad was killed a few years ago. She was barely seven years old. I don’t know the details and to be honest, they don’t really matter. This little girl’s dad is dead and that is heartbreaking. She’s got her mom and her big sister but there is a place in her heart that will never be filled.

It gave Alyssa another moment to stop and think. It reminded her that as much as her dad annoys her with his desire that she eat well and that she be active and that she do her best in school, at least he’s there to hug her every day, to worry about her eating and her activity and her school.

Sometimes we get slapped in the face by perspective. We’re reminded that our opinions aren’t right for everyone and that our lives are actually pretty darned good.

1 comment:

Tiffany said...

Perspective is so good and so needed...and it always seems to come at the right time. (P.S. My O's new favorite silly word? Jackass. As in "Bye Grandma, you jackass!"