It’s Monday. Julia woke up smiling. She got dressed smiling. She sang while I made her oatmeal. She skipped to get on her shoes and coat. The girl was happy.
While she ate, I sipped my coffee and started filling in the dry erase calendar we keep in the kitchen. It helps keep our family at the right place at the right time. I added the next 30 dates. I added fun days first: my birthday, Valentine’s Day, concerts we’re going to. I added school holidays, and then I started on the after-school activities.
“Mom! Mom!” She had one hand in the air and the other she was using to tap, tap, tap, tap my hand holding the marker. “Can I write something?”
I’m all about encouraging my kids to love to read and write. Passing my passions on to the next generation and all that.
“Sure.” I slid the calendar over to her, moving her cup of water out of the way as I went. I handed her the marker.
“Don’t look,” she smiled.
I closed my eyes, and I heard her sounding out letters. I knew she was using her fingers, like she does, combining sounds as her fingers come together.
“Don’t look.” My eyes were still closed. “Mom. How do you spell dance?”
“You have the D-A-N, right? What sound is next?” We worked through the end of the word, why the C instead of an S (anyone know why?) and the “silent E” she calls it.
“Okay! You can open your eyes!”
Julia had written “Dance!” at the bottom of my calendar. Below all the upcoming busies, the appointments, the things to get done. And when the calendar is on the wall, it sits right above my overflowing mail center, brimming with more that needs doing and attending.
All day, I’ve walked past. And each time, I look at that single word, written spaced out and perfect, the way only a kindergartener can, and I realize that my daughter’s perspective on life is perfect.
She is simply happy for what she has, for who she is, for where she is going. She’s curious, joyful, giggly, and knows that everything is good until it’s not.
Her perspective is beautiful.
That is what makes her life beautiful.
How you and I perceive the world around us, determines if we dance or walk through our lives.
How we choose to look at the events that happen to us, how we feel about the people near us, how we react and think and act decides if we dance or sit, backs against the wall.
I don’t know about you, but I want to dance! I want my life to be like Julia’s, one pirouette after another across a grand stage in an amazing tutu.
Julia, I am so grateful to you and your smile, your attitude, your twirl, your lessons, your life. Thank you.
Leave it to kids to always come up with the most profound life lessons. 🙂
I have one of those dry-erase calendars. I believe this has inspired me to add a little note to dance, sing, do the Hokie Pokie at the bottom of mine.
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