Jake's friend was attempting to drop in on his skateboard at the skate park, and while he stood there staring down at the steep ramp in respectful fear, other skaters looked on in hopeful support. A few of them even came over and gave him some encouraging pointers. He stood there, rocked back and forth a bit and with the crowd of adolescents watching expectantly, he chickened out. He got off his board and tripped, landing face first over the edge of the ramp, his bum in the air and with his face pressed down into the grass on the other side.
Humility.
His eyes burned with embarrassment but we reassured him that we've all been there. Jake began listing his own personal stories of humiliation while his friend blinked back tears. Some self-regulation combined with a couple shoulder-smacks and a few friendly words of encouragement, and Jake's friend got right back on the board and dropped in on the ramp. Bam.
Becoming a mother is humbling. Sticking my finger in a diaper to check its status and pulling it out covered in poo can put a damper on how I view my mothering skills. Clipping my teenager's dragon toenails and having them rocket into my face can bring me down a couple notches. Lighting breast pump paraphernalia on fire, getting barfed on (ceasar salad, to boot), and losing my bathing suit bottoms at a grade two school pool party on the rope swing, are all examples of humility. In the moment? It's tragic. But if we can keep getting back up, we can look at the scene below us and laugh.
Jake's friend exemplified humility but even more so, he illustrated courage.
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts."
-Winston Churchill-
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