I read this and laughed to myself. London boy is funny. And he is so right.
‘Mama, you worry too much. You worry about every little thing!’ – my daughter declared.
That was a week or so ago, when I started obsessing about the pigmentation on my face. I kept running to the mirror every five minutes and checking my face at various angles.
‘Can you see these spots?’ – I asked her.
‘Yes’.
‘How about now?’ – I turned my face away from the light.
My girl leaned closer to my cheek. ‘Yes’, – she said proudly, as if she’d just completed a difficult task.
Stupid spots!
And I love the sun.
As soon as I feel the warmth on my skin, I feel happy. I really do. And although I religiously apply sunscreen (recommended by dermatologists) to my face, a few days in the sun left it spotty and me worried.
However, my lovely daughter had enough of my stressing.
As you know, I also love the sea.
I love the turquoise and pleasantly warm water (the sea is never too warm for me and the color – that we can negotiate).
To my very big surprise, the beach was almost empty (indeed it was not the high season yet) and the water was warm! I would have never thought of not shivering when entering the sea in this part of the world. How I loved the absolute beauty of the mornings by the sea and how grateful I felt to be able to swim in it.
As for the sand, Mia said it all as soon as we arrived: ‘It’s like the biggest sandbox in the world’.
However, opposite to what it may sound like, ours was not a traditional vacation. We had spent 3 weeks in a rehabilitation clinic, where kids and adults from all over the country come to heal their bodies (and souls) after the illness.
I don’t ever get tired of repeating to my girl that she is the most beautiful girl in the world. She (the most beautiful girl in the world) never gets tired of adding that every parent finds his or her kid to be the most beautiful. I know, I know, she doesn’t hold back.
During our time there my girl did not lack compliments from other parents and from the staff members. She listened, she ate, she behaved. The compliments were well earned. Then on the day before last she was crowned with ‘the most beautiful girl in the world’ – delivered by somebody other than me.
‘See?..’ – I wanted to say with the huge smile on my face.
Another day she was playing with 2 brothers. The younger one kept crying, not getting the chance to do what he wanted.
‘Which one of you is older?’ – asked my daughter.
‘I am’, – replied the older boy.
‘So if you are older, why don’t you let your younger brother play?’ – asked a wise old… No! Asked my wise 5 year old.
At that moment both the mother of the kids and I opened our eyes in surprise and smiled at each other. I felt a very proud mama.
And I did try to treat Mia. Little things matter to her. When she got a milkshake she’d been craving, she kept talking about it for half of the day. It was the day before going back home.
Later that night she told me with milkshake we celebrated the new beginning. She didn’t see us leaving rehabilitation as the end. She saw us going home as the beginning. I hugged her, feeling incredibly thankful to hear this.
When the bags were all packed and I asked what she was most happy about during our time there, I expected either the sandbox or the milkshake related response. As you can guess, I was wrong.
‘I am most happy because I met a good friend’.
Apparently, the friend lives a few blocks away, so this friendship is sure to last. As, I hope, the effects of the sun (not the spots), sand and sea for the body and soul.