Saturday, September 4, 2010

Will This Matter When I Am 80?

That question was posed to me just this week.

"Will the dishes matter when you are 80?"

Huh! Probably not.

I was late to the barn this week. I've been late to the barn nearly every day this summer. Children rarely have timeliness on their priority lists. However, the child in me still desperately needs the approval of her father, who is also her boss! That child tends to get rather stressed when she is going to be late for work.

So, I was halfway to the barn (already late, mind you) when I hear the cry of my son behind me. His tricycle is stuck, on the other side of the yard, and my daughter and I are leaving him in the dust on our way to the barn. First, I feel the usual swell of frustration rising in my chest.

"Will this matter when you are 80?"

And I stop. What matters more? My dad possibly being angry I am late? Or drying the tears of my little boy?

The anger melted away. I walked back to my son. I smiled and told him "No big deal, we'll get there," and I pulled him and his tricycle all the way to my parent's yard. His tears dried and he talked happily to me all the way there.

We were 15 minutes late. The barn was fine, my dad was fine, the day went on...

... But the Barn Diva grew up a little.