One of the questions that Nathaniel likes to ask me when I pick him up from preschool is, “Is there a toy in the car, Mommy?” Drew and I sometimes tuck away one or two of his toys in our bag when we pick him up because he loves the surprise of seeing what we bring. Every now and then we leave one or two in the car too, sitting there waiting patiently for him in his car seat. When I haven’t brought one for the car, he sometimes responds with, “But maybe there’s a toy in the car, Mama. Maybe there is.”
I love that my child believes in “maybe.”
One day when I was certain there were no toys in the car, Nathaniel found a purple balloon behind the passenger seat. Another day there was a pack of stickers lodged behind his car seat.
“See, Mommy! There IS a toy in the car,” he happily exclaimed.
“Wow, buddy! I didn’t even see it!” I marveled at how such a simple thing made me feel completely amazed.
Did you see the story about Batkid in San Francisco? I’m bad with keeping up with the news, but so grateful that Drew shared this story with me on Saturday. The San Francisco chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation made a five-year-old little boy’s dream of being Batkid come true.
Miles has spent three years of his short life battling leukemia, and now it’s in remission. During his treatment, he was looking forward to the day he’d get to be Batkid. It’s amazing to see the magic that ordinary people can create when they join together.
Take a look at the story.
Miles even got a congratulations Vine video from President Obama.
What if we allowed ourselves to believe in the seemingly impossible? That there is in fact a sliver of wiggle room in the things that we assume to be certain in our lives.
We have no problem believing in the doubt.
“I’m sure they’re not going to publish that piece.”
“There’s no way I’m going to get that job.”
“I can’t afford to go to Italy.”
Why couldn’t we just reverse it? When we put our desires and work out into the world, why not let our brains stray toward the awesome things that are possible instead?
“This could be a good fit for the Mother’s Day issue.”
“I’m more than qualified for the position.”
“There’s a chance I could take that trip if one or two extra jobs come through.”
Try it. See how it feels. You may not completely believe it at first, but doesn’t it feel better to dwell on possible positive outcomes than get bogged down in what might not happen?