Courage
Today, our eldest child left to compete in her first AAU Junior Olympics Nationals competition. A few weeks ago, she competed in the Regionals meet and qualified to run the 3000 meter event at Nationals tomorrow morning.
Here we are at the team drop off point earlier this afternoon.
Nick and I are so proud of her. We were shocked when we learned that she made the cut because neither one of us is that athletic. At her age, I could barely finish a mile in less than 11-minutes.
She will be gone for a whole week with five of her track mates who also qualified. This is not her first time sleeping away from home. She went to sleep away camp for a month two years ago. But, this is her first time being away for this long at a competition.
Ila making pizza bagels for everyone on Friday…she learned the recipe at camp this week.
So, today’s email is brought to you by the letter C. C stands for Courage.
It’s taking a lot of courage for our 11-year old to run this race. It’s taking a lot of courage for me as her mother to manage my own thoughts about her safety and overall mental and physical wellbeing while she is out of my care.
Ila packing her clothes for this trip
I saw a post on Sara Blakely’s Instagram account this past week about fear; it was a whole word. Part of the caption read, “Courage is being afraid and doing it anyway-it’s not the absence of fear.”
And that’s exactly right. Fear is normal. We all have fears. But, it’s our ability to take action in the face of fear that can be the catalyst to something amazing.
Ila setting sale on her maiden voyage to the Junior Olympics
I hope this week you will acknowledge what you are afraid of, own the fear, and do the thing that scares you most anyway. No matter the outcome of your brave action, you’ll be smarter and stronger as a result.
If you’re looking for support as you take your courageous action, I will have several slots available for one-on-one coaching this fall. You can book a call to explore whether I’m the right coach for you. You can read what past clients have shared about our work together here.
Have a great week ahead!
Petrushka
Your Local Ice Cream Lady & Life/Business Coach