Unearthed Essay #3

What if...

My kids are awesome. Just ask them, they'll tell you. Kids are like that, though. They look at themselves in the mirror and see something amazing. He doesn't see that his mismatched clothes are stained. She couldn't care less that her ponytails are crooked. And what's wrong with the dried peanut butter on that cheek next to the snotty nose? When my children look into the mirror, what they see is paramount to perfection.

Take Alex. He's always been on the small end, but don't try convincing him of that. When he flexes his biceps to show someone how strong he is, I'm pretty sure that when he looks down he sees a sea of rippling muscles waving up and down his scrawny little arms. Once he scolded a complete stranger for calling him "little."

What would the world be like if the general adult population were more childlike in this way?

Future Employer: What assets do you possess that would benefit this company?
Childlike Applicant: Man, I rock! I'm a super-stapler, I can work all day and all night and all day, and I'm the fastest typer in the world!
Future Employer: No, I'm the fastest typer.
Childlike Applicant: Okay, we can be the fastest together.

Now, I'm not really imagining that the UN would give tyrannical dictators a timeout then require an apology to the country's oppressed population...though that would be interesting, wouldn't it? I'm just thinking on a micro-level here. When a friend asks how I am, all too often I begin a discourse on what's vexing me currently or the various and sundry ways that my children are driving my batty. But what if next time I followed the lead of the smallest in my life? What if I answered enthusiastically, "Last night I made this pasta alfresco dish that my husband raved about and kids devoured! Even the vegetables! OH! And my waist measurement is down 2 1/2 inches! I don't always like getting up to work out, and after-dinner snacking is hard for me, but here--wanna' see the notches in my belt?"

Now usually when one brags about one's achievements, one is perceived as arrogant or self-centered and looked down upon. It wouldn't take long before one's social circle started shrinking. But what if that changed, too?

What if in response to my excited report of achievements, my friend answered, "Good job! I found a wallet at the mall full of cash and returned it to its owner. He sure was glad to have it back. Wanna' take the kids to the park?"

Really, the repercussions of this simple concept are widespread. Honest expression of emotion or desires, more emphasis on being fun and happy, willingness to befriend and accept those who are different, swiftness to forgive and forget...

I'm usually caught up in the attempt to mold my wonderful children into good citizens and modeling appropriate behavior: respect others, speak kindly, use good manners, blah blah blah. Every now and then I just need to put down my fork, use my hands and appreciate the sensation of applesauce squeezing through my clenched fingers. Perhaps the next time I see my friend I'll say, "check out how great I look in these jeans!" Chances are she'll laugh and congratulate me, because that's what friends do.

Who knows? Maybe one day I'll even look down and see rippling muscles.