Mother Nature's Urgency

Yesterday in my 14 week-old daughter I witnessed her first true frustration with forward progress. She had been running a fever all day (second illness in as many weeks as she has been in daycare) and before my eyes, she was morphing from a happy baby to one whose sensitivity skyrocketed! The bottom lip had made several protrusions by mid-day! When I would set her down on a blanket between feedings, changings, burpings, etc., she would roll up on her left side almost insticintively, like her body was betraying her desire to do what we do best when we're sick - lay around and do nothing! As soon as she rolled, I could interpret her grunts and moans (as all good mothers can do) to mean, "Mom, what is happening to me? Why am I rolled over on my face? I don't wanna be!" However, Mother Nature and forward progress, in terms of physical development, have a more important agenda than feeling lousy from the latest exposure at a germy daycare (even though we LOVE that germy daycare!). The lesson? We must meet our milestones if we're going to be successful and thrive despite our current condition. We all experience such challenges, even as adults. There are many times when we find ourselves in situations that we don't desire, and maybe consider uncomfortable, but are otherwise necessary for forward progress and continued development. If we can get through these times, even if help is needed to reposition ourselves, then we have to take that guidance and march on (or maybe just simply roll over)!