“ The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. ”
— Walter Bagehot
You go through life starting at a young age with restrictions people put on you. You can’t do this or that because you are…too short, too tall, a boy, a girl, …. But why can’t I…? There were many struggles I had growing up. I was too short, a girl, and really small for my age. I was always the last one picked for a playground kickball game. I was never the one anyone wanted to join in their circle of friends. I was the different looking one too which didn’t help. I heard the, “You can’t…” speech over, and over, growing up.
One would think I would want my life differently, to be treated a different way, but not really. It was in those days where I learned to be, well…me. I was scared a lot, especially when kids at my school threatened to cut all my hair off (I had very long hair; almost half my height long). When the threats turned to putting gum in it and then spitting on me, well it really made me sad. Sad I was never accepted and sad that I could not do what they all said I couldn’t. I was too scared to try. But again, I was glad for all of that….in a way. 😉
Now I try to do everything. If I don’t know how, then I learn. Of course there are still things I cannot do, like dunk a basketball, though I did play basketball in high school, yep, all five foot one inch! A goofy site I’m sure, but what fun I had. I can’t reach things high on shelves, but I can climb like any nimble spider monkey can.
You can learn to do a lot of things. How do you know you can’t, if you don’t or aren’t given the chance to try?
Raising my own kids, those words never entered the picture. They wanted to surf; we learned it. They wanted to know more about animals; we got memberships to the aquarium and the zoo. They wanted to learn how to play instruments; we got the drums for my son and a guitar (my daughter sold her horse to buy it. She was five at the time), and they taught themselves how to play. When my daughter wanted to learn algebra, she got the C/D rom out and taught herself; I think she was in the third grade. My son wanted to build a catapult to win a contest at school. He built it and won! Both kids are self teachers. They want to learn something, they learn it. The, “I can’t do___”, doesn’t enter their realm of thinking.
So you see, I don’t regret my experiences. I would do them again in exactly the same way, because I’ve been able to help shape two human beings into the, “I CAN DO___”. And that was worth every fear and challenge I went through.
By the way…I was just told, my niece, who is in her last year of high school, made the high school football team. She is their starter kicker. A girl, who is only five feet four inches, had the “I CAN DO___” attitude.
To all that is out there that think, “I can’t do___” because someone else says you can’t, think again. Change those thoughts, make new friends, new acquaintances, and change who you are around, because you are the only restriction. Be that little engine that could, (cute children’s story, “The Little Engine That Could”). And don’t listen to negative people.
You can do! Peace all, Koko
At Koko's Place 