Ironically, after my post yesterday, I had a similar compliment/experience. Timing always stops me in my tracks, often allaying my fears and reaffirming things happen for a reason. This past week, I have been sitting with a tiny sense of heebie jeebies. I really do not know what I am doing with my newly created position in conservation. I am trying to let go of my inhibitions, ignore the constant questioning voices in my head and just share from my heart and experience. It feels silly. It feels self-serving. It feels ridiculous to be so passionate about something without a goal in mind. I worry about what people will think. I guess they are not so tiny. LOTS of heebie jeebies bouncing like popcorn in my head and heart. But then I get an email, a text, a Facebook message, a call, a shared positive thought when I see someone and the voices are quelled a bit. My courage is bolstered a bit. My internal cheerleader starts waving the pom poms, yelling encouragement to gain a few more yards instead of waiting for the push back. And then an unexpected connection happens that has my heart and head doing Obafemi backflips. It happened Saturday morning, less than a day after my last post.
When we walked onto the field, a player's mother, Caryn, said hello and "I like your shoes. They are bright and you can't help but smile..." I laughed and then shared with her yesterday's post. She immediately launched into a story about a random compliment she received from a complete stranger last year that really resonated with her. Kind words do impact and connect.
When I read back through Caryn's story, I think to myself, "People may say, 'O.K., so what?? Who cares? What's the point of retelling someone else's random connection? None of this is earth shattering! Who cares???!!!'" But I am going to ignore that screaming voice in my head and avoid the delete button. For me the first 30 seconds of my conversation with Caryn was significant. She made my day with an unexpected compliment about something I was feeling unsure about. The timing was serendipitous following my last post. I left the Frisbee match that day so grateful to have heard her giddily recount her morning running connection and the continuing lively, informative conversation we had throughout the match. Often I sit on the sidelines, talk to a few parents about school & parenting woes, followed by silence as our attention is on the game. I appreciate the quiet times for sure, but it was so fun to have an unexpected, lively conversation on topics that had a wider breadth (from shopping to colon cancer).
I ran to my closet to grab shoes before heading out the door for my son's Ultimate Frisbee game. I reached for a pair of shoes he gave me last year for a combined birthday/Mother's Day gift. He saved money from a lucrative lemonade stand, then custom designed a pair of Nikes for me. We both light up when I wear them, but because they are the best gift I have ever received...they must last the next 50 yrs, so I rarely wear them(he did all the color design & hit then hit it out of the park by adding "BEST" & "MOM:)" on the tongues). The colors are far outside my comfort zone but wearing them always makes me smile. A few months ago, when stocking up on running shoes that were on sale, I saw there were two options--safe white w/ blue accent & a hot pink pair. Because I had experienced of wearing Cooper's bright shoes, I decided to step outside my comfort zone and order one pair of hot pink. My boys loved them when they arrived on our porch. I, on the other hand, was shocked, thinking there was no way they would ever come out of the closet because they were so bright. That was until this morning, when I realized I didn't want to put more wear and tear on my the shoes that must last a lifetime.
The shoes are SHOCKINGLY bright. Instead of thinking about it too long and chickening out, I garnered up enough confidence to walk out the front door. My boys gave me rave reviews as we loaded into the car. I thought to myself, "Maybe, with time, I will come to love them too." And dismissed my screaming inhibitions.
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| Cooper insisted on being included in the picture to document the shocking color. He was seriously proud that he added so much to my morning. |
When we walked onto the field, a player's mother, Caryn, said hello and "I like your shoes. They are bright and you can't help but smile..." I laughed and then shared with her yesterday's post. She immediately launched into a story about a random compliment she received from a complete stranger last year that really resonated with her. Kind words do impact and connect.
Caryn went on to share that earlier in the day, she and a friend were about to start a long run along Lake Washington. In the parking lot of their starting point, a woman asked them if parking was free. The woman was also going to run along the lake, but had never started from that spot. After figuring out the parking situation, Caryn invited the stranger to join them on their run. Because she was much younger and very fit, Caryn and her friend assumed she ran much faster than their pace and mentioned she could start with them but not feel obligated to stay with them. The woman accepted their offer and they set off.
Caryn excitedly shared that they ran the entire 10 miles together. They learned the woman was from Mexico City and had moved to Seattle for her husband's job at Microsoft. Giddily, Caryn shared, conversation did not ceased the entire run. Time passed so quickly that it was the easiest run she may have ever done. The unexpected connection surprised and shifted a mundane, often painful task of a long run to a spirit lifting few hours. They exchanged contact information and Caryn cannot wait to run with her again.
When I read back through Caryn's story, I think to myself, "People may say, 'O.K., so what?? Who cares? What's the point of retelling someone else's random connection? None of this is earth shattering! Who cares???!!!'" But I am going to ignore that screaming voice in my head and avoid the delete button. For me the first 30 seconds of my conversation with Caryn was significant. She made my day with an unexpected compliment about something I was feeling unsure about. The timing was serendipitous following my last post. I left the Frisbee match that day so grateful to have heard her giddily recount her morning running connection and the continuing lively, informative conversation we had throughout the match. Often I sit on the sidelines, talk to a few parents about school & parenting woes, followed by silence as our attention is on the game. I appreciate the quiet times for sure, but it was so fun to have an unexpected, lively conversation on topics that had a wider breadth (from shopping to colon cancer).
I thank Cooper for pushing me out of my shoe style comfort zone. My fear of looking ridiculous has been replaced by looking forward to other connections that may happen because of them. And I thank Caryn, a mom I see at sporting events, for a compliment that meant more than she could have imagined and for sharing her stories with me. We both left inspired by Leo Buscaglia's words (and I decided to added them to the banner head of this blog).
Strangers, acquaintances and our family have the ability to positively affect our emotions and carry us through the another day.
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