Dear Friend,
Last week Boo broke a mason jar and then proceeded to have an absolute fit because she "was hoping to go through [her] whole life without breaking a glass...and now it's all ruined." I told her that no one's perfect, that I have broken more glasses than one could possible count, and made her take a nap. A short while later she walked out all cheery and said: "I don't feel bad about the glass anymore...I mean, Moses broke the Ten Commandment tablets. That's way worse."
It's all about perspective. I love that she figured that out on her own but what if she could see the glass as already broken? I'd forgotten about that Buddhist teaching before a friend reminded me of it recently. We hold so tightly to our material belongings that it's hard to step back from them, or to not overreact when an accident happens. Years ago, Boo was wearing a new outfit and proceeded to trip and fall...leaving a huge hole in one of the knees. The way she looked up at me, as if I would be angry or punish her, made me vow that from that moment on I would never worry about my daughter's clothing again. As soon as I purchased something new for her to wear it was fair game for rips, stains and snags. I guess this hasn't quite translated to mason jars yet, but I'll work on it. Maybe it's a result of me saying one too many times: don't break this. Before it even happens. I hate when I do that.
My goal this week is to underreact to problems. I first read that in Gretchen Rubin's Happier at Home. It doesn't mean to ignore or minimize them. Just underreact. Imagine how many people it will throw for a loop...
Love,
Ashley
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