Make Mudpies

It isn't easy but each day I work towards optimism. I challenge myself to find beauty in mud. Although I frequently tear up, I don't let myself cry too much. Maybe I am afraid. Afraid I won't stop, that I won't get back up if I lose control and crumble completely. Or maybe I just realize that it's important to maintain perspective.

Several years ago I read Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees. A beautifully written novel, there are fabulous characters that I fell in love with, but none perhaps quite as much as the character of May Boatwright. This sensitive creature is prone to emotional breakdowns. Her sisters build her a wailing wall in their back yard so she has a place to go to when she needs to cry. I remember reading the book for the first time and being able to relate to May. Although I am far stronger than she was, the idea of feeling the weight of the world upon my shoulders or the heaviness within my heart sometimes causes me to feel distress that is hard to shake.

The past few months have been hard...for me personally but also for many other people. My hardships have been nothing that can be avoided as we go through life. I'm blessed and thus, I work hard to shake the "Woe is Me" feelings I sometimes have. The latest tragedy in Japan has been yet another reminder of the continuing pain that we face on this earth. And yet, the resiliency of the Japanese people in the aftermath of this horrific event has been uplifting. Despite the devastation, the strength of the human spirit remains.

When I was a little girl my friend Suzanne and I spent hours in her back yard making mudpies. Covered from head to toe by the end of the day, I returned home happy. I'd made something from nothing. I'd seen beauty in mud. Call it innocence perhaps, but there are lessons to be learned from those days of our childhood. As adults we forget many things. It's important to work towards optimism. So jump in puddles. Tread gently. Soothe your soul. Sleep soundly. For in the morning the world will be counting on us to regain perspective. It needs us.