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Victory Laps

Grass is growing folks.  Each and every time I drive into my driveway, the long weeds of grass seem to sway in the breeze as if taunting me, calling me out.  Today, the new added element of neighbors maintaining their immaculate lawns pushed me over the edge.

Determined to get our aging, rusting, and on it's last legs riding lawn mower started after a long winter, and dead battery was my adventure this day.  My little Babe stood by and watched me wrangle with a screwdriver in order to put this newly charged battery back into place.

"Dad is better at this, Mom," he chants.

"Yes, honey, Dad is better at this and many other things too," I responded, as I turned another screw into place.

Battery connected, I climbed onto the seat, turned the key, and with a clicky click, it went silent.

"I don't think you can do it, sorry to say it," Babe goes on.

I opened the battery compartment yet again, and said to Babe, "Have a little faith, Buddy, maybe I can."

I used the pliers this time, turned it tighter yet, grimacing my face to show my strength to my little four year old.  I wiggled some wires, opened and closed whatever I could, and mentally wondered if it all was a waste of time.

"I don't know," he answered singing.

"I bet it will go now," I said with growing impatience for this young expert on lawn machinery.  I hopped on the seat and turned the key.  One click and then nothing.

I made eye contact with my little one, he put his hands in the air, shrugged his shoulders and sang loudly, "I don't think so!"

"Oh, boy, I don't know, honey," I said yet again, and as I got down I landed squarely into a patch of mud, I had been so diligently avoiding. 

"Oh Mom, and I really wanted a ride!"

"Yes, I know, well, one more try, one more thing, don't give up yet," I answered as I scrapped the mud off my shoes.

He wandered over to swing on the playset, obviously bored with the crisis at hand.

Loosening the bolts and tightening them once again, determined to give it one last try, I sat back down on the mowers seat.  With my foot pushing in the clutch as hard as I could, leaning my whole body over the steering wheel, I turned the key, to clicky click one more time.  Keeping the key turned, and the engine choking, I muttered, "Come on, go, go, go, go."

And with a loud POP, and a puff of smoke, the engine started up.  Babe turned around sharply, his eyes met mine and over he ran, and jumped in my lap.  We both squealed, clapped and laughed at the victory we had won.

He turned to hug me then, and with his arms wrapped around my neck he yelled into my ear, so I could hear him above the roar of the now running engine.

He smiled and screamed, "I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!"

We took a victory lap around the yard before actually doing the job of mowing, and I mentally took video of ourselves.  These are the mornings that I want to remember with my little Babe, only four years old.....just him and me, finding victories in little things, giving him a glimpse of determination, of trying again, of not losing hope.
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