Source.

No te preocupes. /no te pɾe.o.ˈku.pas/ Language: Spanish. Meaning: Don’t worry. Easier said than done.

We all have those days when self-doubt creeps in.

Days when we wonder if we’re doing our best, or even just good at all. When we wonder if that waiter was laughing with us, or actually at us. When we realize it’s our third winter in Spain and we still didn’t land a flat with central heating. Will we ever learn???

This year, my self-doubt takes a number of forms. Have I reached the limit of how much I can “grow” living in Spain? Shouldn’t I be starting to pursue a field I’m passionate about? Why don’t I have a hundred new friends yet? If I shout at these babies, will they grow up to be drug addicts?

Luckily, being around toddlers all day helps put things in perspective.

Because I’ll tell you: I’ve got a whole lot more figured out than those guys.

In fact, they’ve helped me realize some things I’m really competent at. I’m talking major strengths; areas in which I don’t need to doubt my ability at all.

To name a few:

I can run 10 feet without tripping.

I can eat a cookie without the whole thing disintegrating into crumbs in my lap.

I can sit still for more than two minutes.

I can color between the lines.

Not quite, little guys.

I can talk. Hey, that’s kind of a big one. 

When I see a yellow ball, I know that it’s yellow. No part of me thinks it’s blue. No part of me blurts out, “Red!!”

I can wipe my own snot.

I can hold a crayon without wondering what it tastes like.

I can lay down on the floor without banging my head.

I can keep my socks on all day long.  

I don’t need to suck on a plastic nipple to keep from driving everyone around me insane.  

When I eat pasta, more than 50% of it ends up in my mouth. 

I can nap, eat, and share things without crying. Actually, I can do almost anything without crying, even watch The Notebook. 

I can go down stairs in less time than it takes the Earth to rotate the sun.

And I generally don’t shit myself.

So thanks, little guys, for helping keep things in perspective.

About The Author

Jenny

Jenny Marshall studied Language, Culture, and Society at the University of California Santa Barbara, and now teaches English in Spain. Here she writes about the intersection of language and culture, and lives a life translated by travel.