Try

I woke up this morning, and it's raining. We've been blessed with sunshine the last week. And although rain is needed, it does take the wind out of your sails. But then I noticed a hummingbird. Those little creatures that nature has given us are so fascinating to watch.

Two of these little creatures were chasing each other. One wanted to sit on the top of the hook that held my hummingbird feeder. I've noticed that some like to perch on that hook from time to time. Their little feet fit so nicely on the handle's narrow curve. So back and forth they went, flying here and there, until one became discouraged, and the other one finally had its way and proudly sat on top of that hook even in the rain.

It made me think about life and how nature can teach you so many things about people. Why do some people get discouraged after only one attempt, while others keep trying and, even though they still haven't achieved their goal, keep pursuing their purpose at any cost?

While teaching at the elementary school level, I always tried to answer this question of why some students would compete, redo, study, and tackle difficult homework until they fully understood the complexity of any assignment. Others would deflate like a balloon, and you had to hold their hand to place their name on the paper. I've never fully answered that question.

Growing Up With Brothers

When our family lived on rural roads in the Midwest, I grew up with three brothers, two older and one younger than me. And like most girls, I wanted to play with someone my own age, but unfortunately, most of my cousins my age were boys too. Looking back, I actually resented not having a playmate until we were all in high school.

In high school, my brothers played sports. Every sport you could imagine: football, baseball, track, basketball, or anything that had them running, jumping, or throwing a ball. They were competitive to a fault, which taught me, "Hey, I want to try something."

As I watched them completely dominate the field, it taught me how determined they were to succeed when they tried out for the sport they wanted to play. Some of the positions they fought for were quarterback and running back on the football teams. They powered through track, and one of my brothers, Jerry, had been the fastest at hurdles for a long time, even holding school records.

For me, it was either join in or sit on the sidelines! So, as my older brothers dominated school sports and I was still in middle school, I had a thought. Cheerleading competitions were coming up for the Varsity team, and I thought, I'm going to tackle that!

Silently, I practiced, and because my brothers played sports, I regularly attended their games and watched the cheerleaders from the sidelines. And I could do that!

Interesting enough, some of my friends wanted to try out too. So we started practicing after school, and we thought it would give us a good position: if we didn't make Varsity, we could be on the Junior Varsity team.

Trials came up, and of course, all of us were nervous. I had never performed in front of adults before, or competed at anything. So here we all were, biting our nails, and competing cartwheels in front of the selection committee, and I heard my name called to come to the front of the line.

At that moment, I thought I missed the mark, and they were going to dismiss me. But the committee had other plans. They placed me with four other upper-class students, and I had to join them in several school cheers on the spot to see if I could keep up.

The committee sat back and told all of us to take a seat on the stage. They selected six girls from the current group to become next year's Varsity cheerleaders. One by one, the committee selected from the group until they picked one more. The rest of us held hands to see who was next.

When I heard my name, I was in disbelief. What? Me? And I looked around, and all my friends were jumping up and down, congratulating me on this achievement. It sounds juvenile looking back, but it taught me to believe a bit in myself, and you achieve nothing if you don't try.

You Have to Try

You have to try because what's the alternative? That's life, and I'm still pondering why some people don't try at all. Is it nature vs nurture? I've spent many nights trying to figure that out. I still don't have an answer.

I didn't write this blog to brag or pat myself on the back. Because cheerleading is such a minor accomplishment compared to obtaining a college degree, finding your dream job, raising a family, or being a good parent. But it made me think about trying and what anyone can do, or strive for, if they do one thing. Try.

It sounds so simple, but for some, it's the hardest word in their vocabulary. This three-letter word can defeat the best of us, and in other times, as Elle Woods would say, "like it's hard."

So today, try something. Maybe try something you haven't tried before, or talk to a stranger, or write a note to someone you've been thinking about. Kiss your children, tell them how proud you are of them, or last but not least, be kind.

Keep writing

Dianne