Playtime Rescued Me Today

When I woke up today I really wanted to be optimistic.

The past few days I’ve been struggling through some kind of stomach/intestinal issue, which has been causing continuous painful cramping and lots of bathroom trips. Annoyingly, it’s zapped a bit of my energy and has definitely slowed my pace. With all that is coming up next week- the beginning of the Foundation Team transition and having some major water projects at the same time, and wanting to enjoy the team before we double in size- the timing is quite inconvenient. I have tons of catch up on due to the lost time this week!

My stomach woes were slowly reducing, not as quickly as I’d like, but it started getting better. And then this weird arm pain came. Nothing major, but it hurts, all the time…even as I’m laying in bed. Maybe a pinched nerve?

Anyways, enough about my odd ailments. The story is this:

Today, I was in need of a serious attitude adjustment.

I woke up discouraged and it was becoming toxic. I felt the shortness in my tone and my general irritability. I tried to yoga, I tried to pray, I tried to journal honestly, I tried to reflect on all that I should be grateful for (and am, underneath my frustrated surface).

After a few minutes of journaling on the back porch, my 8-year old friend Winfrida came over to see me. Doug asked me if he should tell her to come back another time, aware of my fragile state and need for alone time before a busy day. I thought about it for a moment, and decided that playing with Winfrida might be exactly what I need.

So, I grabbed the markers and paper and Janine took it up a notch and delivered some sweet coloring books and crayons, and Winfrida and I colored together on the front porch. It was fabulous! All we talked about in our limited shared language capacity (she knows a tiny bit of English, same for me with Kiswahili) was colors and pictures.

Ten magnificent pieces of artwork later, Winfrida went home and I was left with exactly what I needed- a complete attitude overhaul. The ailments are still annoying, but I got the perspective I needed. Now I’m ready to get to work.

Oh the joys of simplicity, friendship and playtime. Great medicine!

For all you moms and medical people, it’s nothing serious I promise. No other major symptoms. But, Kris Tohtz- the best chiro in the world, if you’re reading this, I definitely miss you. And, mom, I'm doing the braty diet you suggested, well at least the things we have here- rice, toast and bananas. I think it's helping...