In spite of my easy going, non-confrontational nature, there are many things about me that require flexible thinking and patience on the part of anyone who knows/loves/lives with me.
On the outside, I am the children's yoga teacher, always ready to be creative & have fun, however, this comes with a price & I know I am probably not the easiest person to live with.
Last week I stopped at the store to pick up some supplies for a yoga camp program. While I was there, I was very excited to see some some items that I could use for a different class. I hesitated a moment and could not remember what I had at home and I did not want to buy double so I called Jay, my significant other at home to find out. The conversation went like this:
Me: [excitedly]: Hi honey! you know those big plastic bugs in my office? The ones on top of the Tabla drum and next to the basket of paper plate African masks?
(At this point another customer looked at me strangely...)
Jay: [sigh]: yes...?
Me: I'm at the store. can you see which ones I have already so I don't buy duplicates?
Jay: [silence]:
Me: Babe are you there?
Jay: [blandly]: I'm here...
Me: You see them?
Jay: Uh huh. There is an orange ant, a green beetle with a spike on its head, a tarantula and a gray-blue looking beetle kind of thing...
Me: OK. No Lady bug, grasshopper or bumblebee?
(More strange looks from customers.)
Jay: No. None of those.
Me: Thanks-be home in a bit...
Ok. I know. Its weird. I am ok with weird. While many women my age are excited about Pottery Barn sales & who won on Dancing with the Stars, I get excited about giant plastic bugs. I just can't help it.
My family however, sometimes does not share my enthusiasm. I can't blame them really, especially when the dining table is covered with paint, glue and paper mache and its almost time to eat. Or when they find little grains of colored rice on the floor with their bare feet. Or there are a dozen yoga mats are drying all over the yard killing the grass and when there are twisted staples, tiny beads & glitter all over the living room floor from a project gone wrong. I can see them shake their heads & roll their eyes and chuckle. Then they see the rain sticks I made, or the colorful mosaics when they are completed or see me put the giant bugs to use in a class or family event. Then they 'get' me, relax a little & see that I am not merely an overgrown child who likes to collect imaginary creatures & make a mess, but there is definitely a purpose & a method to it all.
While most see a freakishly large, tacky dust-collecting piece of plastic that will no doubt pollute the environment someday, and Jay sees dollar bills flying out of our piggy bank and another closet being taken over for "storage", I see the beauty & the GIANT educational potential of simple, tacky looking toys! The kids LOVE them! This is how I get their attention, keep their imagination stimulated, their minds curious & their senses engaged in a world outside & away from all the noise, violence, electronic screens, flashing, blinking lights and annoying sound effects. These giant plastic bugs are part of a sanctuary of fun & a vehicle for learning.
To Jay for making room for me, my daughter, my rain sticks, drums and other odd looking musical instruments, my art supplies AND my growing collection of giant bugs; to my daughter for being so compassionate & willing to 'share' her own stickers, crayons, scissors, ideas & her beautiful heart with me & the kids we work with; and to my sons, for inspiring me to keep the creative, explorative spirit alive in myself and to encourage it in others.
As much as I am sure I annoy them sometimes, this family trusts and believes in me, maybe more than I sometimes trust & believe in myself. It touches me that they are aways there for me, giving me ideas and encouragement, (and sometimes sideways looks), and through their example, reminding me how much I value their priceless gifts of flexibility and patience!
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