Lost Tooth and Leaping Monkeys

Half of my tooth just came off when biting into one of the large corn nuts smuggled into the US in my suite case last week from Peru.



I still finished the bowl of nuts. Now I will be calling the dentist.

This morning I took my son to Leaping Monkeys, a gymnastics class he began last week. I am so proud of him. He did so well following instructions and his anxiety level was low throughout the hour. He even responded first during circle time when John (instructor) asked the gym tots to tell their favorite jungle animal. My son played along with the theme and said his favorite jungle animal is a monkey. Historically, my son has been the one in the corner of the room observing, afraid, and wanting mommy.

Today a little boy named Bennett was the one who struggled. Bennett was sobbing on the side of the gym mat, staring at his mother, while the other children skipped around and jumped into the hula hoops lying on the mat. I overheard the instructor talking with Bennett’s mother about separation anxiety. Bennett eased into the class over the course of the hour but he was never fully integrated.

I related to Bennett as I watched the lesson. While I am striving to live in the moment, I feel very much like Bennett today. I miss the intensity of the human experience that I find in the hills of Peru. Perhaps my purpose it to bring the same quality of humanity and life to the situations and people I encounter here.

I have learned it is okay to be sad, to feel uncomfortable, and to share when I am having difficulty (but I guess this is obvious since I'm typing on the blog spot). The last words I heard John say to Bennett and his mother were give it time, it will get better.