Not in a Cast

Don’t I feel sheepish.  Not to negate all the troubles I wrote about before in my ‘In a cast’ post, but that chapter is already long gone.  From the beginning I was able to recognize that breaking my right wrist was going to be a relatively short chapter in my life.  A hard but short chapter.  I was told 6-8 weeks when they put the cast on, however, they cut it off after 3 weeks because the fractures had healed.  The burden of 6-8 weeks felt like a very long ‘short’ chapter.  3 weeks was totally manageable in hindsight.  I found myself thinking ‘that wasn’t so bad,’ and I wished I hadn’t spent so much energy feeling burdened.  Translated with greater candor (as this blog promises): I feel embarrassed about complaining so much while I had the cast on...

Giant boxes buy me some time to think a complete th--OH WAIT, no they don't.   I think the toddler is smooching the infant. 

Due to the extreme difficulty of the cast period, I knew, deep down, that I would learn something through this.  I didn’t know what, and I wasn’t exactly excited about it.

Here’s what I think I learned.  I tend to get bogged down in the moment--well, in the bad moments to be precise.  I tend to feel as if all the negative changes occurring will actually last forever, and I respond with being overwhelmed.  This even takes place in extremely short lived negative moments--such as stubbing my toe.  I over react, as if I’ll be in this pain forever.  Admitting this is humiliating.  Of course I know that I won’t actually be stubbing my toe forever, or in a cast forever, or being interrupted by incessant female toddler jabber while writing this blog forever, or raising two small children forever....but darn it if I don’t let my emotions run rampant like a wild horse in response to these blips in life’s narrative.  Mommy needs more self-control.

So, lesson learned?  When life gives you lemons, its okay to acknowledge the sourness but remember also that there are other sweeter fruits hurdling toward you, and the sourness will pass.

Here’s another thing that I learned: If I’m not bogged down in the negative moments, then I am fighting against having moments at all.  The cast greatly exaggerated the tediousness of motherhood moments like changing diapers, wiping up yogurt faces and dirty dishes.  Before the cast, I wasn’t appreciative of the fact that these things are basically the thrust of my life.  During the cast, all of these things took 3 times longer and it helped me realize that I am not only lacking appreciation, but I am in constant battle against this servant lifestyle.  This is very counterproductive mindset.  I am not quite there yet, but now I know that I need to appreciate and respect that life at this time is service to my children and household, and being a servant is actually a very good thing.  Jesus said he came to serve, not to be served.  He served unto death.  I only serve unto Daddy puts the kids to bed.  

Service to others is worship to the One who Created us all and serves us all ceaselessly. I desire to worship my Creator, so therefore I ought to desire to serve my children.  And at this point I feel like I am being neglectful to the kids in order to write this, so I’ll quit typing now and get back to serving... 

Wren put 'Monkey George' in a time out.  We found him there about 15 hours later.  Mommy could use a 15 hour time out.