There was a flurry of activity in the kitchen this morning. Homemade yogurt was straining, dried pinto beans were soaking, and my arms were working at the food mill, as I weeded out peels and seeds for a winter tomato sauce. In between the kitchen going strong, I had a sick baby, and a dog throwing up. Yep, it was that kind of day.
My youngest baby, just one years old, had already soiled my outfit several times. And I am pretty sure that the towel my sweet five year old brought me to wipe my arm off, was the same towel that I had thrown in the laundry after wiping up pee in the bathroom yesterday (true story). The smell gave it away and I gave a “thanks buddy” to my little helper, who clearly is unaware of the smell of urine.
The song “Mama said there’d be days like these” came to mind. Yes, there will be days like these, many days like these. But, these aren’t bad days, these are days where we see what we are made of. Will I choose to complain, making a list of woes to share with my husband when he gets home? The list of woes this morning alone could easily earn me some sympathy points, and I could probably get an award or something for still making homemade spaghetti sauce in the midst of it all. Or, I could skip the act that tries to win me points from my husband, or anyone else, and choose joy. Joy says roll with the punches and quit asking for accolades or sympathy from what you do. Joy says today didn’t turn out as planned but it was a great day!
I choose joy!
~Amanda