What growth feels like

Last weekend we took my 8 year-old to an amusement park, and he rode his first roller coaster.

Let me tell you: I hate roller coasters. Like, I never, never need to go on one.

It’s not that I’ve never done it. I just know they are not for me.

But being a mom sometimes means showing that scary things don’t need to be scary.

Shots at the doctors come to mind.

“Trust me, kiddo! It’s fine! It’ll be over SO FAST!” I’ll declare with a large, forced smile and the promise of a lollipop.

I could tell my son wanted to ride the coaster. And I could tell he was nervous.

“Will you sit next to me on the ride, Mommy?”

Ugh. Yes. Ugh.

Later, with my knees still wobbly and my stomach still uneasy, he asked me my favorite part of the day at the park.

“Getting off the roller coaster!” I laughed. And like mother, like son – he agreed.

It struck me later that riding a roller coaster is what growth feels like.

Exciting. Terrifying. Thrilling. Nauseating. Hard. Easy. All at once.

And when you’re done?

Relieved. Brave. Confident. Ready for what’s next. All at once.

This week it feels like I’m riding a roller coaster.

While it’s a different ride, it’s still growth.

And the tough part about a growth moment like this is that I don’t know how it’ll work out.

How do we trust that things will work out, even when we don’t know how?

I asked myself this question this morning and the first answers that came to mind:

We breathe.

We stay in this moment.

And we put one foot in front of the other.

Coincidentally, I came across a proverb today that read: “The obstacle is the path.”

The growth moment I’m in feels like an obstacle.

And it’s also my way forward.

I don’t know how or when this roller coaster will end. 

I’m just on it. 

I’m on it and I’m holding on for every twist and turn. 

Alternating white knuckle fear with moments of laughter, thrill and delight.

All I can do is be here. Breathe. And see what happens next.

Onward,