A Prayer of Thanks for the Swagger of a Three-year-old Strutting Around the House in Her Underwear
Lord, first and foremost, thank you for the gift of being on the other side of potty training. I recognize it is nothing short of a miracle that one day I was shoving yet another poopy diaper into an already full diaper pail, holding my breath to not inhale its repugnant scent, and today I am simply offering a heartfelt, Good job, babe!! every time I hear the toilet flush. Did angels sing the day it happened, God? I could have sworn I heard a faint hallelujah chorus.
Lord, thank you for this freedom. Thank you for tiny pink undies, for miniature potties that sit in the trunk of the car in case of emergencies, for little plastic stools that make this independence possible.
But most of all, God, thank you for the swagger of a three-year-old strutting around the house in her princess underwear. In all my life, I’ve never witnessed such confidence. The way she sways her body back and forth, without a care in the world about her protruding belly, or the way her thighs touch. Where does she get it from, God, this daring assurance? What I wouldn’t give to be able to sashay around this house in my underwear like one of Lizzo’s backup dancers. Lord, thank you for the sight of this swagger. Thank you for letting me witness the way my daughter admires herself in the mirror, the uninhibited smile on her face, purely delighted with her own reflection. Lord, if it’s not too much trouble, might you give me just 2% of her confidence? Thank you for the reminder that her body is good. And my body is good. And all of our bodies are good.
Amen.
Inspired by A Book of Uncommon Prayer by the late, beloved Brian Doyle.
