A typical day at my house includes at least one scraped knee or minor “ouchie.” Today was not unlike any other. By 11am we had one fat and bruised lip on my one-yr. old who flopped off a schoolroom chair, and a nasty scrape alongside my 3 yr.-old’s face from forgetting to put on the brakes when running his dump truck in the backyard. I tried not to cry when looking at them in their WIA (wounded in action) condition. To comfort the boys (and because my 3 yr.-old is always looking for an excuse to be goofy), we got out last year’s costumes, and had fun dressing up as a giraffe, a lion, and a pea. As if the costumes were not amusing enough on their own, the kids had outgrown each of them, and now looked hilariously overstuffed and uncomfortable. Nevertheless, it did the trick…we were laughing so hard they didn’t even notice how painful it was to smile. Liam, my 3 yr.-old loved his new persona so much he requested to take his nap in his suit, and drifted off without a peep.
Isn’t that how it is with grown-up “ouchies” as well? Sometimes the best way to overcome the nagging pain of a healing heart is to clothe ourselves with laughter and joy. In my case, that is often to take myself less seriously. A light heart diverts our attention from complaining to thankfulness. We find ourselves so glad for the good things in our lives that it would take more energy to be down than up. Before you know it you are on the mend, from the inside out.
“A joyful heart is good medicine. But a broken spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22)
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I think dressing up in a giraffe costume would make me feel better when I’m down too! If only they sold them that cuddly in bigger sizes…like pj’s with feet – why don’t they sell those to adults??
I totally agree, Ellen. Let me know if you ever find one!
Ruth, it’s almost as if just reading this entry is as good as if I pulled out my old costumes! I’ll have to remember that trick! What a perfect reminder that the “attitude of gratitude” can lift the veil that we otherwise could not, despite the best of efforts.