Hurdles and Helpers

At home, my kids can be "hurdles" or "helpers". The blockers are those who dump full bottles of glitter on the table during my speed cleaning session, drop a full Tupperware container of loose crayons out of my van at the end of a very long day, who, when you have 5 minutes to get into the van and MOVE, decide to wear three costume dress-up dresses at the same time (but can't decide on the right ones), or those who rush off to church only to find they are only wearing a hat to hide the drippy goopy silly putty mess that is caked into his hair and scalp. They can also be helpers, though. I have the "What can I do to help?" or "I'm sorry you're so stressed." or "Do you want me to find the girls' shoes for you?" or even the kid that I paid $4 to put together an entire 400+ piece PlayMobil Fairy Castle on a busy day to brighten up the birthday girl's mood.

My day today was full of hurdles and helpers... none of which were my children. It seems the world is a stage is full of these dichotomous actors, and today there was a big ol' spotlight on each role in today's play. I had hurdles, major ones. I had tears and stress and worry and exhaustion. I also had helpers show up and go out of the way for me. I had complications, and my long stressful day dragged out far longer than I could manage to deal with. I am thankful for the helpers.... for those who step out of themselves and step up to do a good thing for someone. It is a big deal, and I am inspired even more to strive to always be that person. Help when it's uncomfortable. Help when you're busy. Help when you are already exhausted. Help when you have something more fun in mind to do. Help when it doesn't even make sense. Just be that person that helps others deal with those hurdles. Some days are just chock full of them.