Tunnel Triumph

“Carve a tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of disappointment.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.

It's never easy when Daddy goes out of town; I tend to get weepy and emotional, set off by the smallest things.  Maeve brought me her dad's hat yesterday and said "Daddy" and I cried for about five minutes.  Truthfully, I just really don't like to be alone, and Maeve's dad is my best friend and favorite person, so having him two states away is just plain un-fun.  And this time it's harder because she really notices he's gone, unlike last January when she just blazed through her day unaware.

But Maeve had a breakthrough yesterday, and crawled through a tunnel at the playground for the first time.  I have never been able to get her to do it before, despite waving cookies at her from the other side, or any other enticements that usually work.  She just wasn't ready to do it until yesterday.  Once she got started, however, she just couldn't stop, and we spend a lot of time at the tunnel on the playground until she got her fill.

Seeing her conquer her fear (or at least aversion) of small spaces made me feel empowered, too, oddly enough.  If Maeve can do something she's never had the courage to do before, then darn it, so can I.  There are only 3 more nights and four more days until Daddy gets home, and I am determined to carve my tunnel of hope so I can see the light on the other side.  Maeve and I are a couple of strong, adventurous chicks, after all.

No big deal, Mom, seriously.