Spreading Sunshine

Antiobiotics 1
Strep throat 0

That was the final score. And after Antibiotics' easy victory, it has moved on to face it's next hopeless opponent, Ear Infection! (Ava) It's not looking good for Ear Infection!

Earlier this week Ava woke up from her nap crying that her ear hurt. A trip to the Urgent Care confirmed the diagnosis of ear infection. It was Thursday and that morning Ava had returned to preschool for the first time since Thanksgiving break. She was so happy to go back.


After I picked her up from school, she stood in line with me at the fabric store, in her new purple sparkly shoes, chanting in her sing-songy voice, "happy, happy, happy, happy!" I asked her, "Are you happy?" And her reply was "Yes!...happy, happy, happy!"


As our turn to checkout arrived, she asked me, as she has been doing quite often recently, "Mom, can I say hi?" of course I told her she could. She said "hi"and began a little conversation with the cashier. She had already chatted it up with the customer behind us, as well as the employee who cut our fabric.

As we left, there were three happy people, waving and saying, "Bye, Ava!" and she happily waved and goodbyed herself out the door.

Then she went home for a rest and woke up to a painful ear.



At the Urgent Care office she did her usual, "Can I say hi?" ordeal and made friends with the receptionist. And then the medical assistant. And then the doctor. He liked her so much, he ran out of the exam room to get her a piece of candy from his own stash. And while we waited for the discharge papers she even charmed another nurse. And as we left, literally an entire office of smiling and waving people, said, "Bye, Ava! Feel better!"


And then we stopped at the pharmacy to get her medicine. I usually just go through the drive through and it doesn't take too long, but after we did the drop off, and we were waiting, Ava was saying she was hungry. So we went in to get her a little snack. Once we were inside it was just easier to go to the back and wait for her medicine.

And it was there that she met the pharmacy tech. I told them we would be picking up the medicine inside instead of the drive through. The tech recognized us and said, "oh, then you must be Ava." And so it began again.

As we waited, Ava was admiring the selection of nuts. She asked if they were for squirrels or people and looked at all the different kinds. And before we knew it, the older gentleman in line ahead of us, who was checking out at this point, turned around and handed Ava a bag of cashews he bought for her. He said, he just couldn't resist. Then she and the pharmacist got to talking.

And as you may well guess, we left the pharmacy, with a similar farewell, "Bye, Ava!"

When we got into the car, these events of our day replayed through my mind. It was really almost silly, because this was all just in one day. Honestly, we've never had a day like that. Ava has her moments, as we all do, where her attitude and emotions are at a positive peak or negative valley and our days follow in that same motion-up and down, up and down. It was kind of neat how the peak had literally lasted the whole day.

I wanted her to recognize it all. I started talking to her about all that had happened. The way she had talked and acted and the positive effect she had had on those she met. The way they were all so taken with her, drawn to her. I could see her thinking back as I mentioned each location and person. I told her she had "spread sunshine" that day. (I don't know where I get this stuff sometimes!)

Since then, she has inquired about the sunshine that I told her she had inside. "Is there any left?", "How do I let it out?", "When I open my mouth does it come out?" I'm still not sure she completely gets it.

But, she asks me after we leave a place, "did I spread sunshine, Mom?"

One time I said, "a little bit." (You can guess how she had behaved)

And she said, "I don't want to spread sunshine a lil bit!"

I said, "You don't?"

"No, I wanna spread sunshine a lotta bit!"



Ava is like two little people. At one end she can be what some consider "birth control" (true story) and on the other she can be a bright spot that strangers can't even resist. Such a dichotomy.

And while I thought about her and all the nooks and crannies of her personality, I realized that no matter if we are 3 or 33, the way we interact with people can have just as strong an effect. I may not charm the checker at the grocery store the way a child could, but every person I come in contact with, will feel better or worse depending on our interactions.

This isn't new. I already know this, as evidenced by how just a small gesture like a smile or hello can change how I am feeling. It doesn't take much to build someone up or break them down.

Though now I have a renewed perspective.

I, too, wanna spread sunshine a lotta bit!