Mom is always right.

I remember being little and standing in our linoleum floored kitchen over a freshly spilled cup of milk, and how my little brain remembered that mom had just mopped the day before. I quickly wiped up the crime scene and was somewhat devastated when I found that the floor was sticky. Mom came in and saw the evidence of my destruction and said with a smile and a roll of her eyes... "It never fails you mop and something gets spilled." She never was angry about how talented we kids were at ruining her freshly cleaned masterpiece, she just would "shoo" us out of the kitchen and try again.

Now I have a floor of my own that I like to try to keep clean. Saturday I mopped. I mopped real nice. Here in China its almost impossible to keep a floor looking somewhat clean, I sweep 3 times a day and get disgusting piles of dirt and dust every time, but I have to tell you our floor was lookin' good! We were expecting a group of people the next morning for our "gathering" and I wanted the place to look presentable for them. Mission accomplished. Last thing on the agenda was making the Kool-Aid. Now, because water over here is a little sketchy you have to boil it first...so I made a batch of scalding hot black cherry goodness and was extra careful in transporting the pitcher over to the tiny fridge, all the while keeping mom's words of warning in the back of my head...I WOULD NOT LET IT HAPPEN!!

I placed the pitcher down and closed the refrigerator door...success. I felt like I had really accomplished a great victory. Place was clean, food was ready, and Kool-Aid was in route to becoming a cool refreshing beverage for our guests.

Then it was Sunday, game time. 5 minutes in I had a thirsty visitor who decided she wanted some of that irresistible Kool-Aid. Problem: parents were occupied otherwise and the pitcher was almost as big as she. Bigger problem: none of that could stop her. She was determined....Minor misjudgment by the 4 year old that resulted in a major fail. That pitcher took a nasty spill. Literally. Refreshment gone, clean floor tarnished, little girl still thirsty.

As I crouched over the black cherry casualty sopping it up with a towel, (good thing floors are tile!) her mom came over with a quick "I don't know what she was thinking, I'm sorry." My insides began crying as I thought about how sticky my flawless floor would now be, it was then that I thought back to the day when I honestly believed that I could pour that gallon milk jug on my own, I gave an involuntary and subtle laugh as I said, "Oh no problem, it happens."

Then she said lightheartedly, "I guess it gives you a good reason to mop."