Life Lesson Month of May: Blog 5- Letters from Mom & Mimi

Good Morning Beaner!

And what a beautiful one at that!  It is mornings like this that I just want to hold on to for a bit longer… (2 cups of tea would be well worth the time!) J  Anyway, it is my week to blog so here it is.

Life Lesson Learned #13:  Don’t wish to be someone or something you are not.  If you use your strengths and best assets in a positive way, they will make your imperfections quite small. 

Ellie, I think this is a common mistake made by many.  For some, the reasons that go behind it are well meaning and sincere, and yet for others they may not even realize that they are doing it.  Just remember God made each and everyone of us different for a purpose.  And everyone’s purpose is unique: great or small.

Right now I have a quick story to tell that is all about you of course!  I just hope that I can give you and everyone who reads this blog a clear, and vivid image through the words I am about to share.  It has to do with your ‘size.’  Here goes…

Let me just start Ellie by first reminding you that according to your medical charts from birth till now your height and weight are in the low percentile range.  But not to worry as they are right in sink with each other.  And given the fact that both your mom and dad don’t carry the “giant” gene, well, the odds are not in your favor that you are going to be tall either.  But according to you at your ‘mighty’ age of three, the word “little” is not an option to be used in reference to yourself.   A perfect example would be how there are 3 Ellie’s at your pre-school.  There is “Big-Ellie” whose name I think belongs to a 4 year old and there is also a “Little-Ellie” whose name belongs to a 2 year old.  So I asked you once if you were called “Middle-Ellie”.  With a scowled look on your face, your curt response to me was a strong, “NO Mimi.  And DON’T call me LITTLE either because I am NOT little!”  Enough said.  I wouldn’t dare!  But another little boy at your school did.  Poor Seth made the mistake of saying, “Hi Little-Ellie” to you… and not because he got mixed up with the other ‘Little Ellie’ but simply because you are L-I-T-T-L-E!  I bet he never does that again… especially since you gave him the scolding of his life!  I am pretty sure that yours and Seth’s exchange of words is clear testament as to why little boys do not like little girls; they really are quite bossy!  Yours would be a proven case!

Now with that being said (Miss Mighty 3 year old), you and your Mommy came over for a tea visit last Sunday.  You were wearing an adorable spring themed dress.  Its flower pattern were the colors of kelly-green, magenta-pink, sunshine-yellow and white.  It was very bright and very ‘You’… especially since it was paired with wide-striped stockings in the same bold colors (all your outfit was missing was the flowerpot headpiece that the Munchkins wore in the movie The Wizard of Oz!).  

Anyway El, since you are officially three years old, you should technically be wearing a size 3-T, which your outfit was.  However the dress, which should have come to your knee in length, did not.  On you, it came to about 2 inches below your knee, which only allowed about 2 inches of your stockings to show.  We adults thought you looked precious.  You apparently thought differently.  When I went to put something away in your Mommy’s old bedroom, I found you looking at yourself in the full-length mirror that covers one complete wall.  You were in the ‘zone.’  So I stepped back quietly and just watched your actions for a few minutes, which were quite endearing.  Here is what I saw:  First you gave yourself a total look-over.  And then your eyes settled on your legs… the little bit that you could see below your dress.  While staring, you crossed one leg over the other.  Next, you took one of your legs and stretched it outward… held it there for a few seconds before allowing your foot to drop to the floor where you tapped your toe for a while.  Upon letting that leg finally rest, you gave yourself another ‘once over look’ before crossing your arms over your chest and keeping them there.  And then your eyes traveled down to the bottom of your legs again where you kept your focus.  Your face became stern (definitely noted because of the sharp V etched into your brow), then pensive, and from the way you kept moving your mouth to the far right of your jaw, I would say next your expression became serious, very serious.  After that, the look of frustration took over (again noted by your pursed lips and narrowed eyes), and lastly (this one was a heart-tugger), defeat.  And by that, I don’t mean a “beaten-up” look.  Ellie, with your whole being you gave a deep sigh and all of your facial muscles completely relaxed (and I guess they would after the three-minute intense work out you had just given them!).  Anyway, your ‘look’ wasn’t a sad look… it was more of an acceptance look.  So when I asked you if you were ok, your answer made perfect sense.  You said, “ Oh Mim’s… I AM little!”  And then off you trotted down the hallway, back into the living room where you discarded your dress and stockings only to play happily as your free-spirit self… in your underwear!  I am not sure if shedding your clothes helped wipe away the “Little” moment that had just taken place or if you finally came to the conclusion: It is what it is and I am who I am.  No matter, you Ellie-bean will always be our little munchkin!

It reminded me for a quick moment of a time when I was your age El, a time when I did not like my short haircut.  All I wanted was long beautiful hair.  So I tried to devise my own one day.  I went into your Great-Grandmom Bubble’s bathroom closet and pulled out a bath towel (the longest one we had) and laid it across my head.  Since she didn’t have yellow towels, which would go with my blonde hair, I had to rely on the next closest matching color… white.  Now to keep it in place, I had to bobby pin it to death at the nape of my neck, which would NOT allow me to move my head from side to side.  But that didn’t stop me.  After playing with my ‘long hair look’ for a solid five minutes or so, the towel on my head would become very heavy.  Rather than give in to what felt like a five-pound headache, I would just take it off and quit playing.  Ellie, all I wanted was to look like Farah Fawcett but sadly I think my look more resembled Sister Crazy Mary of The Cloistered Towel Closet!!!  Oh well.  

Now that I have proofread my blog, I think I just learned a new lesson Bean.  Acceptance.  It is certainly ok to wish and dream, but love yourself for who you are… imperfections and all.  For everything about us adds character, great or small.

Bye for now my little Beaner!

Love Mimi