Last week I had time set aside to work on Phase 2 of my Ignite talk. Instead, I sat in the ER waiting for the doctor come in. My daughter, the patient, was was watching Tangled and laughing. I was sure this wasn't going to go over well.  

My daughter had flipped off the monkey bars at school that morning, and when she landed she hit her ear on the side of the structure. The impact lodged her earring into her ear. The whole gemstone was impacted inside her earlobe.

They numbed her ear and gave her a mild sedative. It was no match for my daughter. The earring had to come out, but that logic was nothing she was interested in hearing about. Who can blame my 7 year old sweetheart? She kicked, and she hit. She yelled, and she screamed. I have to admit, I am a little surprised no one got bit.

They wrapped her in a sheet to keep her arms and legs tight, and then they called in the bouncer. I'm sure that's not his official title, but a man big enough to wrap his arms around my daughter's arms and legs so she could be kept still while they removed the earring.

It was awful. Really awful. It felt like an eternity, but I am sure it was 20 seconds or less. When the earring was finally out, I unwrapped her from the sheet. I held her in my arms. She was crying. I was sobbing. The nurse brought us both popsicles.

Within minutes, she was giggling and teasing me because they let her watch Barbie on the iPad. I didn't realize she had any idea someone was there showing her movies on an iPad. She doesn't seem sad that she can't wear earrings, and she loves the stuffed kitty they gave her on the way out. She calls him "Earring Kitty."

On the other hand, I am pretty sure it will take me a year to recover. 

Now that I have had a few days to reflect, I can see how interrelated this experience is with the talk that I am preparing. It was another experience with presence. My presence was my gift to my daughter the same way the mom in my Ignite Talk gives her daughter the gift of her unwavering attention.

Because I was there, fully present with my daughter, I was able to hold her close and help her through a terrifying experience. Connecting deeply gets us through the challenges. It is exactly what we need in order to find our way back to wholeness.

To my dear daughter, I love your feisty style, but please, no more playground injuries.  

xxoo, 

Mom

Read about Phase 1 here: http://tiny.cc/v02u5x