a true story about big feelings
She Froze. I Grabbed the Wrong Fix.
One puddle, one giggle, the whole playground looking, and my girl turns into a little statue.
the realization
The faster I moved, the smaller she got. So I stopped fixing and just stood close, and let it be no big deal instead of the biggest deal.
She didn't cry. That's the part I keep coming back to. She just froze, right there in the middle of the playground. There was a puddle. Somebody giggled. And every kid seemed to look at once. She stood so still, like if she didn't move nobody would see her.
have you ever felt this way too?
And me? Every part of me wanted it gone. I dropped down and started wiping fast, whispering nobody saw, come on, up we go. I thought I was helping. I thought quick and quiet would make it smaller.
But the faster I moved, the smaller she got. Her chin dropped lower. Her shoulders came in. I was solving the puddle and she was still drowning in it, right in front of me.
So I stopped. I put the wiping down and just stood close to her. Big feeling, huh. Everybody looked. Bodies surprise us, mine has too. No lecture, no bright voice. We just started walking. And her hand found mine, and her shoulders dropped a notch.
what I found myself saying
"I stopped wiping and just said — big feeling, huh."
"Everybody looked. I know. That part's the worst."
"Bodies surprise us, kiddo. Mine has too."
