The Job at Hand

Like her mother before her the Butterfly is not the most agile or athletic child. Unlike her mother, however she is enthusiastic and game for almost anything. The Butterfly will give it a go if everyone else is. 

The Butterfly loves themed days at school and has happily dressed up as a pirate, a Christmas elf, or a Butterfly Princess and worn a bazaar wig to a disco.

Her first month at primary school she took part in the school cross country with boundless enthusiasm. The Mauritian was instructed that she needed new trainers and I was told she needed comfortable clothes to run in. The Mauritian bought her a brand new pair of trainers; I just dressed her in her same clothes. In the days before the event, the children trained daily with their class and we were given a daily report of her progress.  My heart almost burst with pride on the day, she put her head down and just ran. Two circuits of the cricket field at Pukakura Park and not once did she stop to walk or get distracted by the other children around she just got on with the job at hand! When she came home that afternoon, she said, “Did you see me mum, I just got on with it and I didn’t give up. I made it all the way to the end!” What an immense sense of achievement she must have felt that day.

The one thing she has is rhythm, she loves to dance and as with all else she does it with great enthusiasm. The school dance saw her dancing her little legs of and smiling broadly all the while. Again, I noticed the immense concentration; she repeated the steps over and over with great precision. She would be concentrating so hard on getting the steps right she would lose time then she would scramble to get back in time. Five songs they danced to of varying lengths and not once did she turn to look for me or stop dancing she just got on with the job at hand!

I asked her afterwards if she'd had fun: “Yes mum,” she said jumping about “dancing is super fun but it makes me tired sometimes!”

Then she started playing cricket, and apart from the first game when she complained bitterly that she did not like fielding, she attacked it as enthusiastically as everything else. She never missed a practise or a game and showed improvement and increased enthusiasm each time. Her proudest moment came the game she was chosen as the captain; she hasn’t let us forget it. I love watching her play she misses more balls then she catches or hits but she goes after every ball. She loves to bowl and does it really well. The thing I’m most proud of is how she just gets on with the job on hand. She makes a point of always watching the ball even if sometimes it takes her a while to realise the ball is heading towards her.  I asked her after a game once if she enjoyed fielding now and was told “No not really but I just get on with it.”

After struggling, together to teach her to swim the Mauritian and I were floored at how much she learnt during her swimming lessons at school. From not letting her face get wet to holding her breath and sitting on the floor of the pool in five short weeks. At her swimming demonstration she had a look of determination on her face, her Papa was watching she had to show him how good she was.

Then came the Central School Junior Triathlon! The Butterfly was so excited she could hardly sleep the night before. Yet again, her enthusiasm and determination shone through as she got down to the job at hand. Off they went running once around their school field then grabbing scooters or bikes and riding to and around the Quadrangle. Back they came dropping off the bikes and scooters running half a circuit of the field to the swimming pool. At the pool, they were told to climb in and run along the bottom for the width of the pool then a final run to the finish line, except the Butterfly she swam it. The Butterfly did it all head down, biting her lower lip in concentration and never once faltered or stopped. Except when she was almost at the end, she looked up and saw me and Hollie she smiled broadly waved and yelled “Hello Hollie!” She had a “high five” for everyone at the end and I heard her saying to her teacher “Can we do it again tomorrow?”

No my precious Butterfly will never be an Olympic athlete but she sure knows the value of doing her best and having fun trying!