Top 10 Tuesday

Top 10 Things that Honestly Don't Even Phase Me

(and I wish were more widely accepted)

10. bacon on the dashboard

9. dog hair on the floor

8. open bathroom doors

7. weeds in the front yard

6. stained carpets and upholstery

5. broken electronics

4. strangers staring

3. poop in the tub

2. siren like screaming

1. incessant "Barney" trailers

Unfazed, undaunted, unflappable are modifiers I might like to see on my tombstone. This is not the same as being calloused, stoic, or insensitive, mind you. Au contraire, the unruffled mum remains calm in order to better love, care for and nurture her offspring. It is her tender heart that fuels the self-sacrifice. Her resolute peace instills confidence and security. She is intentionally mindful of higher learning and relational skills that are taking place amidst the seeming chaos.

Like the horses ideal for therapeutic riding programs, we have become "bombproof." Bombproof horses don't freak out when an impulsive rider screams, hits, kicks, or moves suddenly aboard their saddle. Loud shrill noises do not upset them. They stand as rock solid antonyms to the word "skittish." Some are born that way, others trained into it.

With another homeschooling family, we once toured the San Diego Police Department Mounted Police Force stables in Balboa Park. (This was a couple years after they assisted us in finding Reid there one Sunday.) In any case, the fascinating fieldtrip was led by a woman officer who rides and trains their horses. As a trainer she would throw bottles, therapy balls, and other random objects at the horses in order to prepare them for duty in a riot squad duty or at a St. Patrick's Day parade. Blowing various and sundry whistles at close range, she conditioned them for anything and everything. I could relate--to both the horse and the trainer!

I would like very much for "bombproof" to be added to a modern amplified version of the Proverbs 31 woman's list of life achievements.

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. Proverbs 31: 25