Inspired by Seth

Today I was noticing Seth and taking lessons for myself. He’s short and stocky, which makes doing a lot of things more difficult for him than for his older siblings–but that doesn’t stop him from trying! If Shawn can do it, Seth figures he can, too.

It’s amusing to watch him push a stool out to the rope swing and half crawl, half fall onto it. The swing in the middle is the highest, and he can’t reach the ground when hanging off it, so that’s the one he chooses. There were a couple of times of terror as he dangled with his legs swinging above the ground, but he’s discovered he can tumble off it with little damage.

Steph went to town this morning. A few times while she was gone, Seth decided it was time to go get her. He’d put his boots on and head out, stump, stump, stumping up the field. Thankfully, I knew he had this in mind and caught him quickly all three times (he didn’t try again after being corrected for the third time).

But picture it. All that distance to walk with such short legs, all the neighboring dogs to pass, a few bridges to cross. None of it bothers him. He just plugs along, often singing at the top of his voice. Maybe that keeps the dogs away.

This afternoon we cleaned out the cow barn. There was Seth in the thick of it with his little shovel, singing (yelling?) away. It was only a tiny bit, but he was doing his part to help. And when the manure wouldn’t come up easily, he put his little feet on the shovel and kicked and grunted until he broke it up.

Persistence still goes a long way when you’re short on resources.

This evening, Walter’s sock came off. Seth was determined to get it on. Just when he was about to slip it over the toes, Walter would wiggle away a bit. Seth would grunt and scoot closer. They went scooting across two rooms.

Seth finally pulled off Walter’s pants to better grasp the foot. Still Walter managed to wiggle away sockless. I figure this went on for about ten minutes. Seth sighed a couple of times, but he never gave up.

Three-year-olds don’t know what they can’t do. They don’t know the world and its problems are too big for them. They don’t know how dangerous it is to be alone. They aren’t scared to try.

And so they do. They try, and they sing while trying. At least Seth does. And a lot of times, he succeeds.

What could I accomplish if I wasn’t too smart too risk it? What could I do if I wasn’t worried about getting hurt? How would my days be different if I spent more time singing at the top of my lungs?

Maybe I’d be as happy as Seth. Maybe you’d be if you tried.