Stronger With Every Struggle

Number 7 is nine-years-old, and she loves to DO stuff.

She’s not the kind of kid who will sit in front of the TV or with an iPad for a long time.

She just likes to go go go.

She’s gonna be the friend who is always up for anything when she’s older.

She’s my hiking buddy, and the last time we went for a hike we noticed some bike tracks in the mud, and she asked if she could try mountain biking the next time we went for a hike.

Last week was her first try with the bike on the trail.

Number 7 is a phenomenal athlete, so I was pretty sure she’d do well her first time.

She LOVED it.

We got to a part of the trail where there’s a little loop.

It goes up a kind of steep little hill and then comes down over a rock.

Number 7 really wanted to get up that hill and then ride down over that rock so badly, but she was scared because the rock looked like the incline was too steep.

She did a couple trial runs of the loop, stopping at some of the tricky parts.

When she got to the rock at the bottom she stopped and paused multiple times.

It took her about five tries to go down it successfully.

And then she wanted to do the whole loop without stopping at the top of the steepest part or hesitating on the rock at the bottom.

She did it.

The look on her face when she made it over that rock was THE BEST.

She was SO HAPPY and SO PROUD.

The smile on her face is just the best.

And when I saw how happy she was and how proud she was, that’s when I was reminded of what I tell my E-School ladies.

That pure joy comes from doing something that scares the shit out of you. Doing something where there is a very good chance you will fail. Doing something that’s really hard and uncomfortable. Doing something you’ve never done before.

Pushing yourself.

THAT’S WHERE THE GOOD STUFF IS.

Today we went for another hike.

Number 7 rode her bike again.

She whizzed around that loop like a pro today without hesitating for even a second.

We checked out a new part of the trail we hadn’t explored yet.

Number 7 wanted to stop and check out the water.

(We can’t wait to come here in the summer and do some good, old fashioned swimming in the brook).

As we got back on the path, Number 7 spotted a rock.

I picked it up.

It said, stronger with every struggle.

Maybe it was a random discovery.

But after the year I’ve had, I don’t really think so.

I think that rock was waiting for me, and Number 7 was the person the Universe chose to guide me right to it.