Willing to Choose
‘Perfectly willing! Mom! I am willing to clean up my room, but I’m not perfect! And besides it’s snowing so I’m just going to read.’ Sarah was so angry with her mom when she bugged her to clean up her room. She’d do it when she was ready and she just wasn’t finished reading her book yet. And besides, her room really didn’t need cleaning up. Sarah knew where everything was. It wasn’t like she was expecting company.
This was a normal conversation between Sarah and her mom. Not every day. Maybe about once a week when Sarah’s mom tried to run the vacuum in her daughter’s room. She really didn’t expect any perfection from her daughter. That word just slipped out in the midst of their last argument. She was starting to sound like her own mother - always wanting her to be perfect about her grades, her clothes...it had felt like everything. Sarah’s mom shook her head. ‘Being a daughter is pretty interesting. Living up to your mom’s expectations. And being a mom to that daughter also interesting.’ She smiled. Sarah’s mom hoped she could keep up to the challenge of both being a daughter and a mom.
‘Sarah.’ Her mom called up the stairs as she put on her warm coat and new holiday scarf.
‘Now what did I do?’
‘Nothing. I’m going out to supper - you coming? I’ve finished putting up the Christmas tree and decided it’s time that you and I had supper together at that new restaurant downtown. Your dad’s not going to be in until late.’
Sarah came thundering down the stairs, her ponytail flipping wildly. ‘Yay! Now that I’m perfectly willing to do!’
“And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed!
Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed!”
~ Dr. Seuss
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