I don’t know about your kids, but mine fight over EVERYTHING! I mean everything. From who blinks faster, to who breathes louder, to who says the word “funny” the funniest, they fight over everything.

Last month the teachers from our school did a drive-by parade to show students that the distance caused by the COVID19 quarantine had not lessened their resolve to be in the lives of the kids. It was a powerful thing to see the teachers, their signs, and the obvious joy that the brief encounter brought.

As my children had been tethered to our house for essentially a week and a half, I thought the little minions would be excited for a chance to get closer to the world outside and wave at their beloved teachers.

Well, they were not excited.

They did not want to go outside, and once we made it to the end of the driveway, they fought. They fought over the cowboy hat that my 7-year-old brought along so his teacher would see him. They fought over who could yell the loudest. They fought over who could find a 4-leaf clover. They fought over who could stand on a small pile of spilled gravel in the grass. They fought.

As the first teacher’s car appeared around the bend, something crazy happened.

My children suddenly became glued to my side, their mouths did not make sound, even their hands seemed tied down, and they stopped fighting.

The sight of their teachers, the signs, and honking cars brought joy to my heart and tears to my eyes. I could not stop waving, shouting, and encouraging my children to do the same, but it was as if the minions forgot their evil cause. They lost their vigor for knocking each other down and the need to be noticed. They stopped fighting for their place on the gravel spill and assumed a position of awe and uncertainty.

It’s crazy how quickly they went from dead-set on standing as close to the moving cars as possible to cowering in my shadow, unable to utter a word or flutter a wave. It baffled me at the time, but as the weeks have passed, I think I finally realized that they were just fighting for a certain spot in an uncertain situation.

I think we have all sought to get a grasp or control at one point in time or another. Sometimes when we feel trapped or out of control the only way we know to react is to fight. We fight for what we think we need or want. We are willing to scrape, push, pull, punch, or trick our way into getting where we think we need to be. Other times we find ourselves in a place we did not expect and there are no words or actions that can encompass our emotions.

Here’s some purpose for your Intentergy today. Just as my children found stability in my personal space during the teacher parade, I encourage you to take hold of what it is that centers you. Decide who or what it is that brings security to your life. To what can you anchor yourself and establish a foundation of courage, serenity, or well-being?

Once you have decided who or what makes you feel like you don’t have to flee or fight, say a prayer of thanks for that part of your life. Take a deep breath. You are blessed and there is a spot you don’t have to fight to find anymore.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. You probably can’t put most of your safe spots on a GPS. You will just have to mark them in your hearts or at least keep a sticky note to remind you where it is.

P.P.S. You don’t have to jump full force on your spot. Just acknowledging that it makes you feel better is enough.