Back to Reality

When I was 5 or 6 years old, a cousin and I were playing Hide and Seek at her house. I forgot the other person that was doing the seeking, but my cousin and I were doing the hiding. Since it was her house, and she knew all the good spots, she decided that we should hide under her bed.

The bed was really nice. It had frilly ruffles along the bottom. No one would be able to see us unless they lifted them. She told me to go under first. As she lifted the ruffles and I was about to crawl underneath, she slapped me. Not an 'Ooops, I didn't mean to hit you' slap. I mean a 'I'm gonna slap you into next week' slap. It was hard! If I had been an apple pie, the filling would have been on the floor.

I cried loudly. My mom and other relatives ran into the room to see what had happened. They asked my cousin why had she hit me. She said she didn't know. As I sat there sniffling with my red cheek, I forgot about Hide and Seek. All I could think about was the pain and that maybe I shouldn't play with her anymore. Eventually we played again and have stayed in contact over the years. To this day, she still doesn't know why she hit me. That slap is still memorable after all these years.

Sometimes we get slapped by life issues or problems. The slap can be financial, love, or job related. That slap can be a way for us to take a real look at a situation. Maybe those slaps are supposed to help us remember our forgotten goals. Maybe they're supposed to help us see with whom we're dealing. Maybe they're supposed to jolt us back to reality and get us back on track. Whatever the reason, maybe they're a way of getting our attention. Are you looking?