See how easy it looked? |
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Bertha says that lessons come in threes for a reasonā¦Iām usually not paying attention the first two timesā¦thanks Bertha for the vote of confidenceā¦butā¦sheās probably rightā¦
Take yesterday for instanceā¦my daughter was here for a local trail runā¦so of course I went along for a stroll in the woods and to cheer her onā¦
My first lesson encounter was right after we got thereā¦I was on my way back from the Porta-Potty (donāt you love them)ā¦when I noticed a group of handsome young men stretching and getting readyā¦one stood out from the groupā¦he had this little band around his headā¦and the hair above it was all spikedā¦and kind of odd lookingā¦I brushed it off to metro stylesā¦but wondered why heād take the time to do all that and then run through the woods for an hour or soā¦
My daughter later explained to me that it was a capā¦she even pulled up a picture on her phone of a friend wearing oneā¦I felt a little foolishā¦
Lesson encounter number two came after the racers had left my viewā¦and like a good lizardā¦I was headed toward a sunny spot. There was this youngish woman in front of meā¦she had on one of those flappy, animal caps that are popular with the younger setā¦and the cutest little jeans, pink sweater, and swede bootsā¦she was taking pictures of the delightful fall sceneryā¦and all was wellā¦until she turned aroundā¦and she had a full mustache and beardā¦
I was taken abackā¦I hope my mouth wasnāt gapping as I turned and headed down a trailā¦feeling shockedā¦
Lesson encounter number three came at the end of the 5Kā¦when my daughter came floating over the finish lineā¦first in her age groupā¦it looked so easyā¦she wasnāt even that sweatyā¦it was only a 5Kā¦not the 15 she normally would have run if sheād had more timeā¦I felt smug with prideā¦
Later in the afternoon, when Bertha and I were alone again, she asked me what Iād learned that dayā¦I couldnāt think of anythingā¦so she was happy to point out to meā¦that I had been jumping to conclusionsā¦based solely on appearancesā¦and reminded me of the three learning encounters Iād hadā¦
Okayā¦I got the first twoā¦but not the thirdā¦thatās when she āsplained to me that while this particular race was easy for my daughterā¦it wasnāt effortlessā¦she didnāt just get off the couch after a three year nap and start runningā¦sheās spent years conditioning and trainingā¦
Of course she was rightā¦nothing was quite as I had seen itā¦maybe I need new glassesā¦she says a new perspective is more like itā¦more time in the contemplation chairā¦geezā¦
Jane
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Oh brother does this strike a cord. I see what's in front of me most of the time without giving it a thought, or a second look. Case in point: There's a man who comes in the store. He's dirty (obviously a hard worker) and mild mannered. On first glance I thought ewwww…after deciding to watch him, I saw him leave the store and give a stray dog some food from his groceries. My rose-colored glasses were removed that day. Thank goodness! Now we are friends, and I'm always delighted to see him come in the store. We chat and exchange how our day is going, etc, and let me tell you, this man is one of the kindest individuals that has been my privilege to know. So now you know…the rest of the story, Paul.
And a very insightful story it is…thanks for sharing.
It's a lesson that I am working on…and Bertha keeps finding opportunites for me to do just that…isn't that the way?