The Importance of ATTITUDE

Hi Everyone! I hope the middle of the week is finding you all well. This week I have a personal story to share that hopefully uplifts your spirits (be warned, it's a little gory):

On Mother's Day we found ourselves in the ER because my 5 year old climbed up the back of a rocking chair, then fell and hit the back of his head on a ceramic planter. The back of his head had a serious laceration that bled like you wouldn't believe, and he ended up having to get his poor little head stapled back together. Long story short - he's fine, and he seems to love the fact that he has metal in his head. Needless to say, it was stressful. But the one thing I can add is the fact that my 5 year old once again has masterfully taught me the importance of ATTITUDE. While we were in the ER he had nothing on his face but a huge smile. His smile certainly calmed our worried selves, but I kept thinking about that HUGE gash in the back of his head! I wasn't dealing so well with it, but Han seemed perfectly content despite the fact that his head was throbbing, and we were holding a blood soaked rag up to his blood soaked hair! The doctor said it would be best to go ahead and staple his wound without anesthesia because the shot to the wound would hurt more than the stapling. The horror on my face told her that was not acceptable, and so she suggested a topical numbing cream, which would help... BUT... it was still gonna hurt.

I wanted to be honest with my boy, so I held his little hand and told him what they were going to do and that is was going to hurt. He quietly said "k" and closed his eyes. As each of those staples went in he squeezed my hand, clenched his teeth, and my husband held his body as he jerked from the pain. I waited to hear a scream, but to my surprise, no scream! When it was all over I let out a breath and to my astonishment not a single tear was streaming down his face. He just looked up at us with a smile and asked, "Are we done?" I couldn't believe how tough he was! All I could really say was, "DAAAANNNGGG! Didn't that hurt???!!" And to our further astonishment, he replied, "Yeah, it did, but I'm really strong and really brave too. Can we go now?" The room filled with laughter and amazement. We survived, we got through it, and the wise words of a 5 year old resonated within our souls: "Yeah, it hurt. But I'm really strong, and really brave too. Can we move on now?"

I have thought about these wise words that came (not from me), but my little 5 year old boy. I thought about what a profound message it was and how it totally applies to our lives in every way. Important things always take struggle. We feel the swaps are important to communities, and as we grow, we naturally are going to experience some growing pains. Our hope is that when you come to a swap, you will remember that one of the most important things you need to have, is A GOOD ATTITUDE. Even if we're bleeding from the back of our head, we can still somehow muster a smile on our face, and CHOOSE to have a POSITIVE outlook. What's more is that we can get through it, learn from it, even ENJOY the experience, and move on. So if you ever feel disappointed that you didn't get what you were looking for, your kids were acting crazy the entire time, the venue wasn't that great, or you woke up on the wrong side of the bed (or ran into someone who did) - don't let that discourage you. Look at the big picture, put a smile on your face, and find a way to see the glass half full. You are a part of something special, truly unique, and together we are ALL strong, we are all brave, and we are all moving forward.

peace. love. swap. is going strong thanks to all of you :)