Re Build

“Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” ~Henry David Thoreau

Angel was playing with her building blocks one day.

Yes, my kids play with toys which are kept from their toddler-hood till now. I am always amazed by the new creative ways they play with their old toys.

Anyway, Angel was trying to use all the blocks she could get hold to build a beautiful “house”. The end-result was amazing. It looked more like a castle than a house! She was all happy and glee as she hopped around her magnificent castle, giving me an orientation of the new structure.

“This is the roof.”

“This is the top floor we are living in.”

“There is a playground here.”

“This is a special car park.” I was wondering what was that car doing up there.

“And look at the door…”

With a careless swing of her hand, the building swayed, wavered and crumbled onto the ground.

I choked back a gasp, stared at the poor girl, anticipating an outburst.

And there it came, a burst of laughter!

A wave of relief washed over me, though I was equally surprised. As simple as the palace had looked, it took her almost half of the morning to design and build the architecture. I had to put on a straight face despite my sympathy to her so as not to encourage her to take the opportunity to whine and whimper.

She picked up the fallen pieces and painstakingly stacked them up again, amidst her merry chuckles. As she rebuilt her fortress, she poked fun at her own carelessness and took extra care to put back the pieces without any resentment.

I was impressed.

I took a look at myself and had to cower in shame. Whenever my world collapsed, all I ever did was to sink into the deepest bottom and drown in self-pity. I would look at the fallen pieces with dread, paralyze myself with remote despair, and blame anything and everything.

Angel placed the last piece of triangle on top of her prized castle. Though it didn’t look as neat as the first time she built, it glowered with a light of triumph.

Our lives may not be as perfect after all the hard bumps along the way, but when we take pains to heal the sores, the scars only look more jubilant.

I gave my proud little girl a well-deserved hug, lauded her efforts and nearly did a somersault.

“Remember to keep the blocks,” I reminded her before she took her last bow.

Reality is cruel.