Take the Challange

Why is it when I hear “that is so hard” I want to go out and accomplish that task? “How can you manage the kids, work and competition?”, “That is such a hard trail, I would never ride it!”, “Why would anyone want to do something like that?” These words make my ears perk and my mind race. Is that a challenge? It’s on! It’s like telling a child “you can’t do that.”

But this week, reality has hit. Everything in life needs to be in moderation. Too much of a good thing IS a bad thing. I have been stressing for weeks, no months about the summer schedule. Making sure everyone in the family gets to do the things they want on the weekends. I wanted to commit to the South Eastern Race Championships (SERC), Craig had races he wanted to do as well as some he wants to volunteer for, Brady wanted to play baseball with a select team, Molly and Haley wanted to do both gymnastics and soccer. We were already at 2-3 events every weekend with no family time. I was overwhelmed. Then I decided that the kids’ sports were more important and I can race a few races but did not need to commit to a large series such as the SERC. So I resigned to only doing races that fit in their schedule. I was fine with that. We could make that work.

Then Craig and I, asked Brady what he wanted to do this summer and instead of saying “play baseball” as expected, he says “I don’t know, maybe race my bike and play soccer or do tumbling.” I was taken aback. We had committed to a team. What do we do now?  Do we let him think it is okay to give up on a commitment? Do we force the issue? What kind of lesson do we want him to learn? We talked about this incessantly for several days. We agreed that we could commit to 10 tournaments over the spring to summer. Then the team schedule came out. We were not ready for that. This was one challenge we could not muster the strength to overcome. So with much regret and remorse, we resigned from the baseball team. We are now in the postmortem phase. I am sure this will be discussed by many, including us, for several days to come. I am okay with that, we have done what is right for our family. Brady is completely fine with it (which tells me how burnt out he really is). He is ready for other challenges this summer.

My race season finally started. It was not a warm, blistery start. It was 28 degrees and windy! In fact there were several times during my race that I though “why am I doing this to myself?” Then the “you are bigger than this” determination kicked in (or otherwise known as stupidity) and I kept going. We sometimes suffer to feel alive, to remind ourselves that fun does come with pain at times. Pain is only temporary; your accomplishments stay forever. After riding in four shirts, 2 pairs of longs socks, stockings, chamois, fleece lined leggings, 2 pairs of gloves, arm warmers, a neck gator, and a skull cap for two and a half hours, I was proud of myself. It did not matter how I finished, it was just the fact that I did finish, in miserable conditions.  I rode my heart out, every lap harder than the first. I wanted to show my kids that if you want something bad enough, you have to persevere through the bad to get to the good.  It’s all about balance AND moderation. Finding that sweet spot. I was proud of myself for my determination and yes, I have a gold metal to show for my efforts. Summer will have more races to come. It sounds like a lot of those races I will now have Brady in tow. I am looking forward to him riding and learning this fabulous sport with me. That is of course, if he wants to.

There are other things in my life with which I am struggling to find that sweet spot of moderation. Yet more challenges to overcome. I have been trying to cut back on the amount of TV the kids are watching. I want them to entertain themselves without the TV. It has been fun watching them play together, use their imagination and re-discover some of their toys. Unfortunately, this has not come without the increased screaming and yelling, crying and running. I think if I can get over the sensory overload, we can make this work. It is very tough for me though. I like control, I like organization, I like quite. Without the TV the kids have not adhered to any of those! I am going to stick with it! Sometimes you have to suffer the bad to get to the good.

The harder the task, the more interested I seem to be. I need those challenges; I need that sense of accomplishment. That is just me. It is how I am wired. I do not want others to suffer but I know my personal suffering can sometimes help me put the bigger picture together. If you want it, you will fight for it. A time will come when other challenges seem more attractive. Seek those out too. Life is about exploration. If the pioneers never took the risk of moving out west, our world would be very different. You take risks every day. It is balancing those risks with the benefits/rewards that count. That is the true challenge!

My challenge to you: get out there and push that envelope of comfort. Try something new. Look at Mikey, he likes it!