Don't help!

I hadn't intended for the evening to turn toward a family council, but those are the best ones.  The ones that sort of just land in your lap and lay out seamlessly.  Well, with wrinkles, I mean they are my children after all.

My plate has been pretty full for a few months now.  Consistently full.  Sometimes when it spills over, I complain about the mess it's making.  And then I remember how lucky I am to have a plate with so much goodness a top.  Basketball, football, volleyball, scouts, piano, young women's, Color Run, baking, and everything else that this time of year brings to everyday life.  It's busy.  I mean, most days I don't stop moving until I hit the sheets.  So... you can imagine the state of my house.  It's less than pristine.  So, when your volleyball player comes in, drops her ball, knee pads and water bottle in the living room, followed shortly by your football player who drops his gear as he walks through the house toward the shower, where he leaves his clothes and towels behind,  backpacks unloaded and strewn across the counter,  peaches, pears, and tomatoes waiting patiently for their preservation, dust, dirt, fingerprints, and life all over the place!

Tonight I sat them down, and a story I had perused in the weeks prior popped into my brain.  It is titled "I don't help my wife," author unknown.   In it he talks about how he does housework not to help his wife, but because he lives there too.  He wears clothing that needs to be laundered, he uses dishes that need to be cleaned, he walks on the carpet that needs vacuuming, he pees in the throne that needs to be scrubbed.  As usual, Jayce is the kid who latched onto the idea, and understood my plight.  He may be a loose cannon with impulsivity, but that kid is dependable and aware of people and what they need help with.  To the core.  He reads situations faster than I do and leaps to aid.  So, I called the two youngers out on their crap.  I'm pretty sure my pleas fell on deaf ears.

We all get stuck in a habit of laziness.  Doing the minimum amount required to get by, muddling through.  So, look at your life, light a fire if you need to.  Shake things up, be better, try harder, and by all means pay attention to things and people around you, lend a hand, pick up trash someone left behind, talk to the lady in line next to you, wave to your neighbor, and don't forget to look at your kids or your spouse sometimes and see what an amazing human you have in your life!  I love my amazing humans.