My patience ran out this morning. Mostly because I'm tired, in body, soul, and spirit. (Need to catch on earlier next time before I hit empty.) But also because I really, really want to be around kids. How I ended up with a kid shortage I'll never know. They're supposed to be everywhere.
You know what happened next. I melted into a miserable soggy puddle. It took a little while to listen to the patient reassurance offered by a new friend and regroup. But I still looked like Eeyore.
But then, there were two inflatable pools to empty, clean, and fill. Then two little one-year-old babies to play with in the kiddie pool. Then a third. Two kids blowing bubbles. A fourth grader in an evacuation shelter who sang me the entire keyboard part for her band tune, her chorus song, and then let me help her build a battery-powered car from her science kit.
Then there was the late-middle-age man who was over- impressed with the fact that I grew up in Japan. Once we got past that part, he started singing me songs from his home state. I sang him mine. Then we sang a couple of good ol' Japanese country songs (enka) that I hadn't sung in a quarter century.
I've recovered to approximately Piglet level.
It was good to outright need them today. Whoever thinks that volunteering is always about giving hasn't tried it long enough. It's more about being human together.
Another break coming up this weekend. Plenty of one-on-one time with Papa God. That should take care of the fatigue.
Thanks everyone. I needed that.
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