Fits and flights.

Why? I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's somewhat of a phenomenon if we make it through one practice without someone crying, throwing a fit, or exploding with some sort of spastic outburst. Explanation: I coach a girls gymnastics team. I don't ever remember being as stressed at that 8-12 age as these issue filled athletes have been lately. Every day a new snag unravels making toddler tantrums look like kids stuff. Pun intended. Though yesterday's practice came with tears, it also included a small snip-it that superseded the mayhem. One of the little ones was bawling out of shear frustration, but quickly given some encouraging words from her old and wise 11yr old team mate. The advice was short, simple, and I couldn't have said it better myself. Except that I had- 2 yrs ago- to that old and wise 11yr old team mate who at the moment, was bawling out of shear frustration. 

"I can remember when I had the worst practice of my life and Lisa told me: The best thing about a bad day is that you get to make it better." 

I'm not claiming ingenious epiphany by any means, but short, sweet, and helpful to that 9 yr old crumbling before me at the time. As insignificant as that tid-bit of advice was, it was a proud reminder of the impact I have on those often trying kids. I will reveal some relevance here, I promise. I can state with sincerity, I do sympathize with the reality that they soak up my words probably more than the average person does (mostly because they are forced to listen to me for 2.5 hours a night). Knowing how nutty some of their parents can be, setting a positive example for them, (or at least a fair attempt), comes quite organically now. The long and the short of it is, we never really know who we are impacting every day. Good or bad. 

At this very moment, I can tell you exactly what's on the mind of my cousin's friend's brother's girlfriend whom I met once at a family function. I can recite who has had a baby, who has suffered turmoil, and who has gotten engaged. Do I want to know all this information? Not particularly. But the fish I'm after is the cyber reality that we can find out almost anything about anyone in one lightening fast hook and reel. 

(a fishing analogy? I know- I'm not sure where that came from either). 

Let's switch motherboards for a minute here and talk reality. We don't walk around with 140 characters above our heads for all to read. Out in the raw cyberless world we have no idea what is going on in the lives of our bank teller, grocery store cashier, or guy that just cut us off in the prime of rush hour. Before you blow a fuse, consider the options and who you could be impacting. Are your actions helping those around you aspire to be better or worse? I could have just as easily told that fit throwing 9yr old to suck it up, quit complaining, and do what I ask (believe me, most days I want to). But then she wouldn't have been able to offer up those encouraging words that just may stick and domino.  Consequently, the guy that cut you off, or the rude bank teller, or the grocery bagger with less personality than a rock, could be dashing to an emergency, in the middle of a painful divorce, or dealing with a tremendous loss. OR to be 100% honest, he very well just may be ignorant, unhappy and mean. Either way, we all are a question mark outside of our keyboards and like the machines we entrust our most precious data with, we too, break. We are endless mistake making, virus catching, fact storing humans- flying around this earth both hoping and fearing we will crash into one another. All you can do is try your best to control your own plane and those that have chosen to fly with you. They are the precious cargo we live for deserving the best path we can show them. We all will experience fear filled take offs, bouts of turbulence, and not so smooth landings. But like that wise 11yr old told me yesterday, even our stormy days are able to clear. While sometimes it is nearly impossible to recognize a glimpse of light, think of all those on board trusting you to make the right moves when things don't exactly go according to plan. Because just as quickly as the storm rolled in, it will dissipate leaving nothing but cloud nine in view. 

Good Things Come in Small Packages

Did you know I was a premi? Yep, which is a little ironic because I am rarely early for anything these days. Fate's sense of humor, I suppose. Small is what I know, and that early arrival (along with a dose of family genes) landed me an annual front row seat on class picture day. I was too short to climb the tree in preschool, (thanks for the boost Matty D), wearing a size 6X for far too long, and consequently growing big in a small town. Surrounded by small, it's offsetting to hear small town  paired with any negative stigma. Small towns are where big dreams, people, and ideas are born. Even those with the world outside their doorsteps, find themselves seeking out the places that are inevitably "small." It's rare to find true metropolitan natives that spend their weekends exploring the big city attractions. (Those were created for us "small timers" to swoon over). There is a large comfort in small. It's hard to disagree that we all would prefer a small team of truly sincere friends rather than a stadium full of contacts. 

Our location should never denote our thinking. It's so simple to be jaded by our surroundings, but a small town does not equal small thinkers. Inspiration is not fueled by skyscrapers and lights. Small people result in small thinkers. If you really look, those billboard name idols are from small towns too (i.e. Mark Twain, CoCo Chanel...I could go on forever). Nothing separates us from them other than the relationships we wrap ourselves in. And luckily for us, we all are capable of that. Now more than ever, our exposure opportunities are growing larger by the feed whether we are in small town, USA or Mars. The relationships we build, pave our paths. They may be dirt roads, cobblestone, or concrete; they all get us where we want to go just the same. Let your relationships denote your place in this world. If the creator of the "Happiest place on Earth" is proud to announce "it's a small world after all," then so am I. 

I began writing this post before a little surprise this week. I would like to dedicate it to my sincere and very brave friend Jena and her new baby girl, Karli (above image). Weighing in at a tiny 4lbs,  she is the perfect example of how undeniably wonderful "small" can be.