New Experiences

Last night as I was writing in the gratitude journal shared with my daughter, I asked a “coach-like” question about her 3rd grade year. With today being the last official day of school, I thought it would be fun to hear her answer. As I let the question out, I held my breath hoping she would be willing to answer on a deeper level, rather than the usual one word responses I typically receive.

To my surprise, she was eager, willing and ready to fully engage with me. It brought joy to my Mom’s heart and stirred the coach in me to get ready to be curious! So here’s how our conversation went.

I asked, “If you could use one word to describe your 3rd grade year, what would it be?”

She thought for a few seconds and then wondered, “Can it be two words?”

Excited to hear her answer, I said, “Absolutely.”

She shared, “New experiences.”

Wow, I thought! That’s deep and meaningful from a not-quite ten-year old. I wanted to know more so I put on my coach hat and said, “What are some of the new experiences that you’ve had this year?”

Her answers made me smile and become teary-eyed. I asked her permission to share these with you and here’s what she said:

• New friends.
• New math concepts; multiplication and division.
• Language arts; reading and writing.
• Math enrichment.
• Student council.
• P.E. was super duper fun this year; I liked doing all of the new sports, but football, not so much.

By reading this list, I’m sure you can glean a little bit about who my daughter is. She loves to read and write, is a bright girl, is an emerging leader, and loves to be physical and engage in sports. She’s a fan of math and plans to use her intelligence to become a veterinarian some day.

What is more profound than her answers is the fact that she has overcome many hurdles in her short life. In her earlier years, we spent many hours working with specialists to help her with endocrinology issues, sensory integration challenges, gastroenterology problems and some other delays. So who she is today is even more significant with these additional facts.

This conversation with her is very meaningful for me on many levels. The mother in me is proud of her for persevering and I am humbled that I have the privilege of nurturing this young girl’s spirit. The coach in me is inspired by the dreams that are developing within her and passionate about holding her bigger vision as I shepherd her heart and dreams in the coming years.

It’s ironic how all of this points to the integration in my personal and professional life. Not only is today a celebration for my family because of the end of 3rd grade, but it’s also the 4-year birthday of Inner Wisdom Coaching Services and the 1-year birthday of this blog. So, I am also celebrating professionally with this month’s team newsletter with the theme of Dreams & Visions Made Real. If you aren’t already subscribed to this newsletter, be sure to check it out because we are offering a huge discount on our “Making Dreams Real” coaching packages for you and your friends, family and colleagues.

So now I’m curious about you. What are the new experiences you are grateful for? And what are the bigger dreams that are evolving from these new experiences?

I invite you to take time to ponder these questions as you join me in the celebrations of the season. I’d love to read your comments so be sure to share at the blog at www.shannonbruce.com.

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the things you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain

Photo compliments of Photo Express © Nat Ulrich