Support for our support

We all need constants.

Something or someone we can go to when the world or our circumstances overwhelm us. Many of us turn to God and cry out to him, even though I suspect many of us don’t do this as often as we should.

Sometimes it’s not so much that we’re overwhelmed, but that we feel ourselves heading down that path. It’s been said that music soothes the savage beast, and for some, music soothes the savage beast within and gives comfort.

Maybe for you it’s not music. Perhaps it’s going for a run, taking a walk, meditating or hitting a punching bag. It need not be physical. I know if I don’t escape at least a few minutes a day in a good book I feel completely out of sorts. Same goes with writing.

Most of us have at least one thing we turn to which makes us feel more in balance and offers us some solace.

For my son, it’s the swing set in the back yard.

It may seem a little odd that a fourteen year old boy would still gravitate to a swing, but, as he tells me, “It’s my only therapy.” Between school, friends, homework, band, private horn lessons and now football, things have already begun to get hectic. He needs a few minutes each day on that swing–just him and his headphones–with the rest of the world far away.

His daily therapy sessions came to a halt last week when his dad happened to notice that the swing set had suffered more wear and tear than we realized.

It’s a wonder the whole thing hadn’t come crashing down already. The bolts had almost completely worked themselves out of the structure on one side and it was leaning precariously.

I suppose we could have sat him down and explained that the swing set had seen its better days. That it was time to move on and put aside childhood things.

But like I said before, we all need our constants.

Which is why my husband, who has a firm understanding of structural principles that are way beyond my understanding, took the time to design a support system which would allow our son to continue using the swing. It’s also why we spent a good portion of our weekend in the ungodly heat of this Houston summer (he way more than me–I was just a helper) making sure that at least one constant would remain…well, constant.

And a good reminder that our constants–those that support us and build us up–sometimes need us to return the favor. Be they animal, vegetable or mineral.