Sunday - May 17 - 2009
Facilitator: Lina
After we got the kids registered for the marathon, we had 45 minutes to kill before the race actually began. To keep the kids cool and out of the sun before the race, I decided the best move would be to take the troop next door to the air-conditioned Beirut Mall. My idea was simply to sit them down, keep them cool, while engaging them in a low-key activity.
As we entered the mall, some of the race organizers caught me at the door and told me that the kids running in the race had to stay outside.
Considering the ages of our kids, how hot they were, and how far they were about to run, I felt strongly about keeping them cool until race time. As I pleaded my case to the organizers and tried to convince them otherwise, the conversation between us got a little bit more entangled that I had wanted.
As some of our kids began to catch on to the confrontation, Lina noted that a couple of our boys then fashioned themselves behind me with their arms folded, high upon their chests, in the cutest of ways, showing their support for me, as I spoke to the other unfamiliar adults.
Though the boys stand barely up to my waist, apparently, we were all in this together.
Eventually the organizers and I both realized how quite nonsensical our exchange was getting. Finding the humor amidst the absurdity, finally, we managed for each other more than just a smirk, but a slightly stifled laugh by the end of it. The organizers let us enter.
It wasn’t until the end of the day, on the bus ride home, when Lina had told me about the boys’ support for me. I loved hearing her tell me this, and I could only picture how the boys posed themselves to configure such an “intimidating” stance.
Reflecting upon the irony of the situation, I laughed. But, further thinking about the underlying message in the boys’ reciprocal support for me, I’m sure my expression turned a bit more heavy and contemplative. Simply, I wanted them to know that I was on their side more than they were on mine.
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