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Ingrid isn’t feeling good. It’s her second day in a row with a fever. There’s nothing quite as draining as a sick child. Even still, we had a lot to smile about.
It’s always a struggle to rearrange your schedule when you aren’t expecting it. Most days I’m happy enough to have an excuse to bow out of meetings, because I think the majority of them waste more time than they save.
But today I had a video teleconference (VTC) I really needed to attend. I didn’t necessarily need to participate directly, but it was important I heard what the different attendees had to say and be able to read their body language.
So I took Ingrid with me. She sat in a chair outside the camera’s view, reading books, eating snacks, and climbing in and out of her chair repeatedly.
Only once did she break her whisper voice, when the stuffed lamb she had perched on top of her head fell off.
Overall, everyone was impressed with her self-control (which made me a proud mama), but they also couldn’t stop smiling over her hat. In fact, everywhere we go, people stop us to say how much they adore this accessory. It sort of feels like we’re part of a clandestine feel good campaign.
And it’s working.
Obviously this photo isn’t her best. You can tell she’s under the weather and had a long day. But I bet it makes you smile anyway. And today, that’s the best both of us can do.
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6 Responses to Monkey See, Monkey Smile
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- March 4, 2010 at 9:16 pm
- Jennifer Gresham
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Oh, Pat. Isn’t it awful we have to go through those kinds of things to find a better way through life? Balance is hard and goodness knows I haven’t figured it all out yet. But I know I need more time for my family. Sometimes, finding joy isn’t as complex as allowing ourselves to make time for it.
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- March 3, 2010 at 12:47 am
- Lucinda Eileen
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Ah, darlin’. You can see in her eyes that she is ill, but what a trooper! And the hat did make me smile. I remember days dragging my children to work when they were sick. Lucky I could do that. Hope Ingrid feels better soon and you can get to those meetings. I am always amazed when anything really gets done in meetings, but that is the way of the business world. I am very glad to be taking a break from it.
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- March 4, 2010 at 9:06 pm
- Jennifer Gresham
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Yes, I can’t wait to take a break from it too! She is already back to tickles and giggles. Guess if you’re going to take a two year old to a meeting, it may be best to do it when they’re sick. Otherwise, she would have pestered the whole group to read a book or some such! LOL
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- March 4, 2010 at 9:22 am
- T. Birch
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I remember that stage. There was a time my daughter was always wearing hats or head scarfs or something.
Now she worries it’ll mess with her hair, lol.
She’s lovely Jenn.
t
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Put a smile on my face for sure. : ) But reminded me, too, how difficult it is to give your all to work you love and parenting, too. Two incidents came to mind when I read this…my husband traveled all week, many of my workshops were on weekends. One Friday he was home to be with the kids early and I was leaving the office after work to drive 200 miles for a Saturday workshop. Stuck in five o’clock traffic approaching an overpass, I saw an ambulance above me headed for the hospital with my husband in the car behind it. I turned off at the next exit and went to the hospital not to find my youngest son who had so many medical problems as I expected, but my oldest son with a badly broken leg from a soccer game. The second time…and I resigned the week after it…was when in a bad midwest weather, my husband flying in, me flying out, we hugged briefly and handed off our disabled son at the airport. That was it for me, cutting schedules that close. I loved my work, still miss it, but loved my children more and the stress of two demanding careers was taking its toll on all of us.
Pat