“See ya out there!” my 10-year-old daughter grinned as she waved and stepped outside the door of our home. She wasn’t going far, just to the driveway to play ball with her sisters while she waited for the bus. But as I gathered my coffee mug, phone, and the pups, I couldn’t help but think of the weight of what I heard in her sentence.
See ya out there!
She meant the driveway. She meant talking and smiling and helping her navigate her day. She meant waving goodbye as she rode the bus.
See ya out there!
But I heard, “See you out there in the world.” The real, actual crazy world beyond our walls. I will see you out there, and I will know how you are showing up. So show up, Mom.
See ya out there!
And she does. She sees me out there. We go out into the world together, most of our days. Somedays, we literally see each other doing life within our community, and especially inside her elementary school where I substitute multiple times a week. She walks by and sees me teaching another class. She sees me at recess duty, in the cafeteria, in the halls. And she comes home and comments on it. I see her. As she preps for her day. As she works hard and deals with personal issues. As she looks out for others.
See ya out there!
I’m sitting with the weightiness of this innocent statement called out this morning. See ya out there. How do I want her to see me out there? The reality is that she will see me and the way I am living, in our home and out of it, in our neighborhood, community, world. What do I want that to look like? How do I want to show up in the world?
See ya out there!
