Today, Little Miss and I enjoyed a rare lunch date with just the two of us. Usually we have Sweet Pea in tow, so it was nice for it to be just the two of us. So, there we are, sitting in the middle of the food court munching away when she knocks over her drink, all over the floor.

Yes, this happens on a regular basis. And yes, it was precariously close to the edge to begin with. However, I reacted as I try to do – calmly. No use crying over spilled iced tea, right? I went and found someone to clean it up, and I went and got a refill for her. Then, we finished our meal. No fuss, no muss. (We did thank the person who mopped up the mess, for the record).

So we sat there, watching the people go by, enjoying our meal. I began to get a little antsy, because a 4 year old enjoys their meal, and I eat like it’s a race, so I took out the book that came with her Happy Meal (did you know you can get a book instead of an annoying toy? Score!), and began opening it. Can you guess what happened next? I spilled my drink, all over the floor. Actually, directly underneath the “wet floor” sign that was placed there after our last clean up. Boy, was my face red. She spilled her drink, and then I spilled mine!

“How embarrassing!” I said to Little Miss. “That’s ok, Mommy.” What if I had blown up earlier? What if I had gotten frustrated over a simple accident? What would her reaction to my mishap have been then? It’s not often we get to see a reflection of ourselves so quickly, but today I did. And today I was glad I chose grace over chastising.

Blessings,

Liz