Chuck It

 

This is Chuck the bathroom spider, or someone who looks very much like him. 

2019.

We made it. 

It might not seem like much but, for a Gen-X’er who never thought they would live through the 80’s because of the threat of imminent nuclear disaster, it’s pretty impressive. When you factor in that I was educated by some of the finest politically correct, environmentally enlightened, cannabis cultivating teachers Vancouver Island could afford, it’s a total miracle.  Actually, while we are at it, we should blame David Suzuki too.  A half a century of “The Nature of Things” could effect anyone's vision of the future.  Especially in the old days, before they started to offer a side of hope alongside the latest environmental crisis facing the planet.  And no, you can’t get cross at me for saying that, despite our love for the man.  My sister waited on him once in Granville Island and we darn near thought we had come in contact with royalty.  However, even you have to admit there were days when you wished you skipped the show simply because you could not handle the sense of doom it sometimes afforded.  Those were the days. 

However, despite the ambiance of existential nihilism, the future I didn’t imagine wasn’t quite as ridiculous at my current reality. I expected the New Year to ring in some sanity, it didn’t turn out that way.  I’ve been spending a significant amount of time with teenagers lately.  If sanity is your objective, that is a bad plan.  Something about an incomplete brain and a complete vocabulary make teens refreshingly and boldly insane.   The tone for the month of January was set when my eldest was baking and the oven blew up in a shower of sparks.  It has continued as I have been prepping kids to compete in a speech tournament at the end of the month.  Editing sentences such as, “It takes roughly 1000 years for a single water to break down and none of us have even lived that long” will do something to your soul.  The "something" isn’t good in case I didn’t make that clear.  This morning when I was told that Chuck, the resident bathroom spider had broken his contract with my daughter, I set aside prayer time to ask the Lord to show me what I was doing wrong. 

Chuck is a spider who lives in my daughter’s bathroom.  She doesn’t like spiders as a rule, but something about erasing Chuck from the planet for being a spider seemed wrong.  They both agreed that if Chuck stuck to his corner of the bathroom, he could continue to exist.  A high handed approach to be sure, but they have lived at peace with this arrangement for some months now.  When Chuck disappeared a couple weeks ago, my girl became concerned.  Not for his life you understand, she isn’t that attached, no she was concerned that he had broken his agreement and had relocated to her bedroom.  Which is exactly what Chuck had done, being the dishonorable spider he is.  Chuck was seen this morning running at high speed across her bed.  Normally this behavior on behalf of a spider would cause my daughter to start screaming in fear but when she realized it was in fact Chuck sprinting across her duvet she got angry.  Scooping Chuck up she marched into the bathroom and dumped him back in his corner.  She explained the agreement once more and left him to consider his actions, which he probably didn’t because he is a spider. 

Every morning, my kids gather to collect a cup of tea, read and chat before their day begins.  When my daughter recounted her morning’s interactions with Chuck, I asked her why she didn’t dump Chuck outside when she finally had the nerve to catch him.  She looked at me blankly and said nothing.  I stared back.  It was then I realized Chuck had become her friend.  She had become so used to her uncomfortable relationship with the arachnid she didn’t get rid of him when she had the chance. 

Let the analogies begin.

Going into this New Year my friend I just thought I’d ask, do you have any uncomfortable relationships or habits that might be worth getting rid of?  Anything you used to be scared of, that has now turned into an uneasy alliance?  Do you need an example or two? Have you turned a blind eye to your wife’s shopping habits, constrained a discontent heart with a budget instead of having a difficult conversation?  Is your teen exhibiting some goofy behavior you are ignoring, hoping it will magically disappear instead of handing out real life consequences? Such alliances are taxing on both the sanity and the soul my friend and rarely worth the investment.

So I’m praying for both of us that we will face the New Year with confidence.  If there are any corners where uneasiness lies, that we will be willing to clean house and embrace the freedom God affords.

Give your teen(s) a hug.

Be patient with them.  They are not finished yet.

xoxKaren