a shift

there are plenty of shifts that take place in one's life. like the shift from being a little girl that turns into a bratty teenager, the shift from spending 4 years in college to suddenly being on your own trying to pay the bills, or the "simple" shift from one job to the other. there are the shifts in life that happen slowly and expectantly however, there are other shifts in life that happen suddenly. they happen at a specific moment.

they rocked you to sleep, they dressed you for school in the mornings and helped with homework at night. they visited colleges with you or bought you your first car or even walked you down the aisle. then, in one day, hour or even a moment... a shift occurs. i find that it is the specific moment in time where the child, the daughter or even the son becomes the caretaker; the "parent" and carries the responsibility of providing security, uninhibited love and unwavering support. the kid becomes the one looking for the monsters under the bed for those that did just the same for them years and years ago.

a role reversal - a shift.

i remember my grandmother telling me about how she would brush her moms hair, and i have listened to how my mom would give my grandfather warm soup and crackers for dinner. that is the shift.

it is when the realization is had that your mom or dad are not going to be the ones to pick you up after you fall down on the driveway and kiss away the boo boo from a scraped knee. it is that first instance when you become the one to make it better for those that once made everything better for you... a shift in the role, now the caretaker...now the one in the drivers seat.

life is short however, no matter how or when the shift happens, i am confident that there will be someone to provide the comforting scratch on the back or kiss on the top of the head to let the other know everything is going to be okay, a single promise but a strong one at that.  

more importantly, i commend those who have experienced this shift and who have not only lived with it but lived through it. i commend those that find humor in life's shifts and can look to the heavens and praise every single little blessing along the way. 

sure, some shifts are harder than others but those that have been taught well, those that have had the best role models along all of their own life events...these will be the ones that handle the role reversals ahead with the most grace and patience.

so, thank you to those who have taught their own to be the best they can be...for one day, they'll make theirs feel safe and sound and surround them with shatterproof love, because after all... they are now the ones that in just a moments time, need it the most.