After we got home from playgroup today, Mylie wanted to go outside for awhile to make the most of the last few drops of sunshine before winter comes back for another few weeks. I had to feed Nolan and then make lunch, so I told her I wouldn’t be able to come with her. She was fine with that, and trekked out on her own. As I sat on the couch with Nolan, I watched her go to the swing set. Until now, she has mostly shied away from the big-kid swings, opting for the easier to manage baby swing. But today, she decided to give them a try. I watched as she struggled and struggled to hoist herself up on the slippery surface. She finally made it, only to slip off again. She got up and tried some more. This went on for a few minutes, until I happened to glance down at Nolan, and looked up to see her lying flat on her back, having taken a real spill off the swing. She started to cry, while looking back toward the back door, but quickly realized this was pretty pointless, and turned back to the task at hand – swinging. At this point, I’m thinking to myself, “Just swing on your tummy like all little kids do,” but she kept trying to climb up. Finally, she made it solidly on to the swing. And it moved back and forth for about 20 seconds, after which her momentum died. Since she doesn’t know how to “pump” she just sat there. My heart ached for her, for all her hard work that was to no avail. But then she kicked her legs a bit, which caused the swing to move. And a smile of pride washed over her face. And then she jumped down and moved on attempt the see-saw by herself.

And as I watched her, I became overwhelmed with awe. She kept trying far past when I would have given up and taken the easy road. And even after she thought she’d achieved success, she hit another stumbling block. But she took it in stride, and found joy in what she could in the situation. And then she moved on to try something new, without dwelling on the failures of yesterday. What a lesson for me!

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