And I am so grateful for that!
After a home-cooked dinner (chicken, broccoli, and vinaigrette potato salad), baths, and a good night’s sleep, we started over today. I’m so glad that everyone woke up with much better attitudes. We’ve taken a walk to the park, played in the back yard, watered the flower and vegetable gardens (tomatoes are flowering!), and worked on cleaning bedrooms (a never-ending chore for some reason).
While we were on our walk this morning, I got to see my oldest daughter’s sense of humor. When she is rested and relaxed, it comes naturally to her. She has a great smile and an innocent playfulness. Yes, that is why we’re unplugging. Because down inside of an over-stimulated and frazzled brain is an amazing person.
I might not be very popular for suggesting this, but what do you think we would all be like if we “unplugged” for a little while? Even just 1 or 2 days a week? What would we be? Calmer? More in tune with the people around us instead of the vicarious relationships with made-up characters? Maybe even more willing to let someone pull into the lane ahead of you without using your horn (or worse)?
All I know is that I’m starting to see the person that I always knew was my daughter. Her compassion. Her joy. Her creativity. Her courage to ask questions to confirm her significance. Her dreams. She can frame them in her 9-year-old mind and give them life. Because she isn’t wrapped up in what is happening on the TV, she can have meaningful conversations. She’s telling me about the details in the books (yes, plural) she’s read over the past week.
And somehow, I know through all of the challenges, that her father and I are doing the right thing for our family.
Now, if you will excuse me, there is a game of Uno to be played….
