BElieve in YOUrself

I took a big gulp as I closed the car door behind me. I almost didn't go in. Who really needs milk anyway (says the girl who drinks two gallons each week...by herself)? Picture this: It was a Tuesday night in the Winco parking lot. I was without a coat. And an Eagle Fire Department truck was parked to my right. I shook my head as I walked in the store. Small details...

Courage is something we all have, some more than others, but we all possess it. It gets stifled at times, completely lost at others, and yet it is in its release that we truly experience it. I am constantly reminded of it as dancers walk through the doors of the studio each and every day.

Be confident. Show your courage.
Stay brave.
Push through it.
Feel it.
Make the mistake...and make it big!
Keep smiling.
It might be hard, but keep trying.

Simply put...get over it.

I'm sure my teenage dancers roll their eyes each time I say it. But I smile each time they do it! And they do it frequently. I've witnessed it in great measure as they choreograph their own piece. As little legs leap over the large storage bin. I know the pain in pointe shoes, burning quads, somersaults, and 12 oz cans of green beans. It's the courage of big brother J learning the 5 ballet positions from little sister C...courage on so many levels...

I'm amazed how frequently and easily children show courage. And how honest they are about their own doubts. And how willing they are to be themselves. Perhaps we should take note.

Walking into Winco that night I felt the strength of my young dancers with me, reminding me to embrace my own courage. They were there to help me get over the noise from the "small details"...there I was on a Tuesday night, a 36 year old ballerina in multi-colored cat pants, rockin' a new cat shirt even, and the Eagle firefighters just so happened to be buying groceries at the exact moment of my milk deprivation...for those of you that have not seen the Eagle Fire Department Calendar, well...you just won't understand. For the rest of you...yeah, that really happened.

Pull your big girl cat pants up and get inspired by big brother J to find your own courage...wherever and whatever it may be...tip toe if needed, or take a daring leap...just believe in yourself. Be YOU.