I Twirled Today

You know the moment in the Disney movies when the princess is overcome with joy and wonder and contentment that she just can’t help but twirl? The moment when Belle is so in love with her book that she twirls through town? And when Ariel twritls through her secret cave of forks and camping lanterns? And of course there’s Cinderella, who twirls enough for all of the Disney characters combined throughout her fairy tale. And Jasmine… I guess she’s not much of a twirler. It’s not as fancy to twirl around in baggy sweatpants, I guess. Does Elsa twirl? I’d assume once everything unfreezes and she can finally feel her toes she might twirl..? Not sure, haven’t seen the whole thing.

Anyway, you get the idea. The wide eyes, sparkling smile, arms out wide, the “I’m the happiest girl in the world” twirl.

I twirled this morning. In my yoga pants with holes in them, in my baggy Steelers shirt, in my fuzzy red Chirstmas socks. I twirled.

What glorious occasion caused for such a dramatic spin? It all started with a kiss. Most fairy tales end with one, and most of them involve a handsome prince, but this fairy is a little different. Sarah kissed me goodbye, and I was still in bed. This is significant because Dawson usually wakes up at 5am, which means we are all up and around for our quick goodbye kisses as she leaves for work around 5:45. But since I was still in bed when she kissed me goodbye, that meant Dawson was still sleeping. I checked the monitor. He was still breathing, awesome. So I tried to fall back asleep but I just couldn’t. I was so impressed and amazed that it was ticking closer to 6:00 and I was still tucked warm in my bed. Then it hit me. All of the wonderful, productive things I could accomplish while he slept! Get some freelance work in? Unload the dishwasher (impossible to do when he’s awake. Im.Poss.I.Ble) fold some laundry, pack our stuff for the gym? The possibilities before me were endless. I jumped out of bed and ventured into the quiet living room. I checked my phone. 6:06?! Is this true? Is this really happening?! It took me a moment to really process that although I was awake, I was baby free and had time to do something that I couldn’t normally do. I knew this window of time was very limited, so I needed to make my choice. And fast. Unloading the dishwasher won (duh) and as 6:14 approached, I closed the dishwasher full of dirty dishes and started a load. NOT ONLY did I unload the dishwasher, but a new load was started.

And then it happened. The twirl.

It was just going to be a quick spin around the kitchen to see what else could be done, but one thing lead to another and in turned into a princess twirl.

Full fledge, spinning on my fuzzy socks, arms outstretched, smiling like I had just won the lottery, princess twirl. I finally understood why the princesses couldn't help but twirl through town. It was the freedom, the happiness, the unspeakable joy that words just can't express, so a twirl is the only thing that can truly express how you are feeling. As I came to a stop, as I enjoyed the silence in the kitchen, a little whimper came from upstairs.

6:17. He slept until 6:17. No magic carpet ride, no enormous library, marriage to a prince, or thawing out of a city (is that what Elsa did?) could compare to the joy of this moment.

I encourage all moms to find something in their day to twirl about. Even though it probably feels way better when you’re in a swishy dress and have the whole town singing to you as you do it, a good twirl can really feel good.

What have you twirled about today?