I have recently started to learn some new terminology. Thank you to my daughters and my nieces and nephew.
Like “hole in one”- the term for golfing when you played a really great game.
or "Par"- It is a baseline number of strokes for each hole.
Like “whoa” - You use this term to stop a horse when horseback riding. This is the number one command you need to know for safety.
Like “good take”- basketball term- whoever had the ball decided to shoot it. Sometimes a basket is made and sometimes it doesn’t, but it was still a good attempt.
Like “landing a double pirouette” - my daughter Hannah’s upcoming dance recital is this Friday. She has been working on this one move for quite some time. It is an act of spinning on one foot, typically with the raised foot touching the knee of the supporting leg.
Like “put your arms into it” with swimming the butterfly stroke,..... my daughter Rebecca has taken up competitive swimming. Her coach uses this term to help them focus on their speed.
All of the children I am surrounded with, well let me phrase this better, the adolescents and teenagers that I am around these days, are honing their craft in their talents and hobbies that they dabbled with as a child, and now are pursuing as they get older.
Wow, that is quite a statement. What have you been pursuing lately? I just told Scott last night, I am finally back.
So, what I have found is that in the past 10 months, I wasn’t at my par, I was “putting my arms into it”, but I was barely moving through the motions daily of survival in the adult world.
Although this might sound familiar to what I wrote in the autumn time, that I needed to take a break and recenter myself, this was something that kept recurring throughout the school year.
What I also noticed is many other people in the world of public service have all been experiencing these same moments.
I decided to use the term “whoa” for the summer. To stop the fast pace, and choose this season to be present with my children, to be present as a wife, as a friend, and as an individual.
What I have also learned is that youth can teach adults so many things. Just asking my teenage family members to give me some terminology about sports, opened up Pandora’s box of what life lessons I can learn from children. . .
The top 5 kids in my life have all chosen a sport to pursue. I have noticed their attitudes, their confidence, and their way of handling daily situations all became more positive when they had a physical outlet to tap into.
As an adult, I love hiking, running, and yoga. I put that on the back burner because I was so entrenched with work and daily life. As I watch my younger family members, I am inspired to pursue physical goals. I can't wait to begin this journey again of regaining strength both physically and mentally.
I want to ask you this. . . Have you had a “good take lately?” Have you attempted something, maybe didn’t succeed, but it was still a good move for you as an individual?
My road in life has not always been a smooth ride. There have been many attempts, failures, and even flat tires along the way. However, the “good takes” are what have stretched me as an individual to grow and realize that I can try new things.
I was recently asked in a workshop, what is your superpower?
I proudly said “resilience.” I am not ashamed to say I make many attempts in life, sometimes I score and sometimes I do not. But, I get my head back in the game after a loss.
Challenge yourself to see if you can pursue something that has taken a backseat for a while in your life.
It’s time for me to go pick my gooseberries, water the garden, and prep for my canning days. The garden is waiting for me to attempt a summer tournament of harvesting!
It's also time for me to get sand in between my toes, have some marathon sand castle tournaments, and count shooting stars.
Take a moment and get back into the game for yourself.