GIDDYMUM

Oh look what’s in the making 

in that corner, right there

that’s our Mt. Laundry

sitting tall and proud on the chair.

First came the tiny socks  

then crawled in the big black shirts

then arrived the little pajamas smothered with raspberry jam

and soon the doll decided to pile up her little skirts.

I wait for the mountain to get taller

because doing laundry is such a boring chore

but when she wears her cape and conquers Mt.Laundry

it doesn’t seem boring anymore.

She stands tall and proud on that mountain of clothes 

and screams ‘I am the queen of the universe’

she fights with her magic sword 

and kills the witches and their curse.

Soon the mountain turns into a volcano 

and clothes fly here and there 

then she gathers them in a basket 

while Papa dumps them into the machine with a cupful of fabric care.

The television is playing in the background

but we really don’t care 

because now we are chatting and laughing 

over a boring chore that we now share.

So what if it takes longer to finish 

we get time to catch up with each other 

oh you boring chores, now I know why you exist 

because you turn into a lot of fun only when we do them together. 

“I am bored.”

If I put a lego down for every time I say those words, I would have built the world’s highest tower by now. 
Why can’t boredom be cool?

Why not say, “let’s do something boring today.”

Or “hey, how about we join that boring class?”

Our hearts only want to jump from one exciting thing to another. That’s how we get the rush; sharing all the exciting pictures of doing something ‘cool.’

We never share the boring stuff because nobody is interested, it’s not glamorous, it doesn’t make anyone envious, it doesn’t get any likes. 

Doing the dishes doesn’t give me any rush, it’s plain boring. 

When I do boring things, my brain only throws life questions into my live feed. 

“What am I doing?”

“Is this the sole purpose of my life?”

“Oh, everybody is changing the world and look at me.”

But here’s what I am doing.

I am learning to calm down.

What’s boring to me, is not for my four year old.

She looks forward to emptying that dishwasher. I am glad, because it must be teaching her a lesson without me saying a word. 
She gets to count the spoons, guess the shapes and share her crazy dreams that she had last night. 

And we, are listening. 

The father has taken a break from his laptop and is emptying the sink as he hears her stories about the wolf in her dreams who wouldn’t share his crayons. 

And I, have stopped over analyzing boredom. 

Boredom is inevitable. 

It is essential. 

Boredom doesn’t want to be ‘cool’. 

It wants you to do things that you think are cool. 
And now that I am done with the boring stuff, my heart will automatically look for something that will excite me.

Sitting by the window, day dreaming, sipping my hot masala tea, while she makes a colorful mess with some finger paint. 

Or just walking down to the riverside to watch the boats get on with life.

Or learning a new skill, pottery maybe? 

I wish you lots of boredom, because boredom makes everything else look exciting. 

She can turn the couch into a big space rocket 

She digs out grass & beatles from her front pocket 

She will grab all the chalk and grate it like it’s cheese

She acts like a child, but she’s always a magician to me.

She can turn her dad into a glamorous queen 

And drive me up the wall, hope you’ve never seen

She can go invisible and then buzz like a bee

Oh she acts like a child, but she’s always the winter sun to me.

She can dance to no music 

And sing her own tunes

She can bake you a cake and serve it with pink tea 

Yes, she acts like a child, but she’s always a cupcake to me.

She can bring down the house with her tiny hands

She can make things fly and not care where they land

She can stand by the sink and turn it into a sea

Oh she acts like a child but she’s always a tornado to me. 

There’s something beautiful happening lately. 

As we rush through our chaotic mornings

As I scream over spilled milk with all my might

She asks me gently  “Mumma, what did you dream of last night?”

“Did you dream of cupcakes?” 

“Or of elephants having a party?”

“Were you inside a ship?”

“Or were you just sipping your tea?” 

There’s something beautiful happening lately. 

As we rush through our chaotic mornings

As he negotiates with her to brush her teeth right

She never forgets to ask

“Papa, what did you dream of last night?”

“Did you dream of monsters?”

“Or of me driving a plane?”

“Had you brushed your teeth in the dream?”

“Oh, and did the monster have a name?”

There’s something beautiful happening lately. 

As we rush through our chaotic mornings

As she rummages through her closet, flinging everything at sight

She begins to tell me,

“Mumma, you know, I had a dream last night.”

“I was at an elephant’s birthday party 

And there was a big pink cake

I even sang him a birthday song

‘Happy birthday to you, Elephant Jake'”

Sometimes she laughs out loud in her dream

And we eagerly wait to hear all about it the next day 

And when we ask her, “what did you dream of last night?”

She makes up endless stories in her own mischievous ways.

There’s something beautiful happening lately. 

As we rush through our lives

As we fret and complain and fight

She reminds us to slow down by asking

What did we dream of last night.