Is this a big problem or a small problem?

I keep thinking about this question.

I’ve decided to take the word problem out of my lexicon.

Once my brother said to me something like this: If you didn’t have your problems, then you couldn’t solve them.

It’s not that I’m going to stop having problems. It’s that I’m going to stop assigning my problems flashing lights because when you are me even small problems are attached to alarm bells.

What if this is just my life?

I know I’m not being original here. Maybe that’s the point.

Maybe I have a kid that worries about falling asleep and maybe four months into spending part of every night trying to get her to sleep I think we are in crisis mode.

Maybe I mention my problem to 12 people. Guess what? Eight of them have a kid who struggles with falling asleep.

Maybe my real issue is I always think someone will have a better answer than me. I interview experts for the articles I write for a parenting magazine. These people have great answers for so many issues.

Maybe I have a great answer for my issue.

Which is no longer an issue because it’s no longer a problem.

It just is. And soon enough my life will change. The girl will fall asleep with more ease. And I just don’t want to make up what my life will look like later. Suffice to say I’ll have something going on in my life that I talk about with everyone around me. The clerk at the grocery store. My oldest friend. My funny husband. The mom standing next to me outside of school at pick-up time. And then my brain juice will ignite while we talk, and I’ll come up with 5 or 10 ways to change my life. Or not. I’ll not think of one way to fix anything. But it will eventually change forms, or the child with the “problem” will come up with a solution or she will grow and change. All I know is every problem feels big until it feels small. That’s kind of how the life game works. What’s your problem today?