Have you ever done something that stretched you so far it made you feel like you could do anything afterward? I have. For me it was successfully teaching junior high school students.
My first next “I can do anything” step after I left teaching was coaching cross-country for a local middle school. I’ve been a runner for a good part of my life. I’ve been coached plenty, but never coached. True to my new motto, I figured “I can do this” — although it turned out, not without help. I needed to pull in my 5-6 minute mile running friends, while I stuck it out with the 8-9 minute milers.
But it all worked out. In fact, our team placed third in the championships. I didn’t even know the protocol for accepting the award. When your team is in third place, they are first up to the award podium. Of course my runners knew what to do.
All of this just to say that stretching yourself can be a really good thing. Imagine what it felt like to watch the runners’ faces accepting that award. What touched my heart the most was learning that a few of my younger first-time runners decided to pick it up long term. I learned this from their parents well after the season was over.
I get that our options are limited these days. Although some events, (running races for example), are actually more global these days. Now you can run a race (albeit alone or with a small group of friends) and be a part of something much bigger. And who ever thought you could listen to a philharmonic orchestra from their homes to yours?
We are creative, we are resilient, and we are born to stretch. It seems to me that the leopard in this blog post photo is a reminder of that very statement.
What is a stretch for you and how can you make it happen?