My Shadow

I walked up the stairs to change out of pajamas and it wasn't long until I heard another pair of feet tromping up to find me. Stinky walks with the lightness of a rhino, but we always have a warning that he's coming. "Whatcha doin', mommy?" he asked. I told him I was getting dressed so I can tackle the day. He started posing, flexing, and stretching. "I'm going to tackle this day, too," he said as he did a double-bicep flex. "And I will choose my coolest clothes." A red striped polo shirt and blue plaid pajama pants were what he had in mind.

Once I'd settled Rotten into a nap, Stinky became my shadow. He helped me wrap potatoes in foil to bake in the crock pot. He helped pick up laundry and wiped down the table. The last was a surprise to me, as I sprayed it and left to swap the laundry. I came back and found him "tackling the day" on top of the dining table, wiping it down becoming a whole-body workout. What a helper.

I think a kid's favorite toy will always be his mother- even when she's just doing chores. My sweet Stinky shadow reminds me of that- asking to help with the 'gredients when I'm cooking, changing to tackle the day with me. He reminds me that even the daily drudgery of things like wiping tables and doing laundry are a joyful thing, if I can just look at it the right way.