You work toward it and hope for it. Then when it happens...

You work toward it and hope for it. Yet when it happens, it is still a joyous surprise.

On Saturday of this last weekend, Buds and I were gone all morning, then we popped home to grab the littles and headed out for the afternoon. Monkey didn’t want to attend either of the event options, so she had the day to herself, including all afternoon at home alone.

She and I messaged about a couple things, and as you can see, I teased her about folding the laundry.

I walked up the basement stairs and into the kitchen. Monkey was sitting at the kitchen table working diligently on her video game creation. I gave her a cheerful, “Hi, Monkey!” Then I looked around me.

Clean dishes were drying next to the sparkling sink. Everything was so shiny I swear I saw those little twinkle lights.

She had cleaned the kitchen and all that entailed; folded two loads of laundry, as well as processing more laundry; taken out garbage and recycling; cared for cats’ needs; plus, she made time for self-care by going out for a walk on the beautiful winter day.

Buds told us later that he was thinking on the drive home from our day out, “Okay, we’ll get home and I’ll tackle that dirty kitchen.” That was not a joy-filled thought for him. But he was going to do it.

All the people in the house help with chores all the time. That wasn’t the surprise. Giving of her precious time to show her love for all of us in this way; what generosity of spirit.

She said she likes doing chores when she’s alone because she can play her music and sing as loudly as she wants, which makes the time pass so quickly as she’s working. Monkey spends a fair amount of time thinking about when she’ll be ready to forge forth in the world on her own. She takes opportunities like this to see how “adulting” really works.

Whatever the reason, it was a lovely gift to the family.