I know I've said this before, but it is no less true now. Each of us has her own vices to work on, and the biggest of mine will probably always be selfishness.
I was fortunate enough to marry someone who has not even one hint of selfish bone in his body. Our favorite, go-to visualization is this:
You and a friend pass by a bowl filled with free tootsie pops sitting on an office desk. There are only two remaining tootsie pops; one is red and the other orange. Everyone knows the red ones are better. In fact, red is your favorite flavor. Of course, you happen to know red is your friend's favorite flavor.
If you are Kirk, you will - without hesitation - offer the red one to your friend.
If you are me, you will race to the desk to quickly claim your I-got-there-first, red sucker prize.
Of course the example can be applied to much broader decisions. On the rare occasion that I manage to overcome my "natural man" reaction, Kirk will look at me and say, "Aww... you gave me your sucker."
Maybe it's because of my natural reticence to share that today's happenings filled me with awe. Or maybe it really was just that awesome. But I definitely learned a lesson from a young boy today.
The kids and I were at Fashion Place Mall killing time while waiting for Kirk to be done with his Lasik surgery across the street. The boys were doing a stellar job of window shopping without whining. We perused Build-a-Bear without tears about not building a bear. The nice lady in Sees Candy gave us a sample. Mmmm. And there were no complaints about just sitting in the coin operated kiddie rides and pretending they were moving.
Dylan was particularly enjoying the view from the Bob the Builder truck when a boy about 8 or 9 years old approached, quarters in hand.
"Oh, do you want to ride this?" I asked, "Because if you do, I can move him."
"Nope," he said, as he proceeded to insert his three quarters, press the green start button, and walk away.
Wow.
Too bad it scared Dylan half to death, and I had to quickly remove him from the ride. I was able to call Adam and Alex over and they each took 30 second turns, enjoying the brief motion of the ride.
But still, wow.
BOY TRAPPED
Where the inside of my mind leaks onto the screen.
Monday, February 21, 2011
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2 comments:
Wow we are in the same boat as you guys with the sharing thing. I have a real hard time sharing and Brigham just wants to share with everyone. That boy was so nice!
Love your story of sharing the red sucker. I literally take ALL the red and pink skittles when Matt extends his handful to me. Not so nice, since he too likes red...
What a sweet boy! Never have I seen quarters handed over so willingly at coveted toddler rides. A trait I should teach my kids.
To make my comment even longer: I have a cousin who recently told me that at Christmas time she takes her kids to the hospital and they slip coins into the bottom of the vending machines. A simple surprise for the unexpecting visitors that need a reason to smile. That simple act WOULD go a long ways, huh!
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