Parents Together
Sometimes a microcosm of life presents itself in the most unusual places. I myself was recently caught off guard as I casually watched, along with 100 other parents, a swim meet comprised of children from ages 7-17. The older kids were magnificent physical specimens with broad shoulders and powerful legs developed from years of competition. These athletes were obviously striving for excellence with the goal in mind of finishing first. In stark contrast were the little guys and girls who just wanted to make it to the end of the pool without drowning.
When the older athletes finished a heat they knew their times, and they knew where they finished in the pack. In contrast, the pee wees had no idea what their times were, and no inkling of their position. All they knew was that they finished…and they were delighted with that.
The day before the big meet, all of the swimmers gathered for a pep rally that was characterized with painted faces, team slogans, songs, encouraging talks to bolster their confidence and of course…pizza. The touching aspect of the pep rally was that, at that moment, there was no distinction between the accomplished swimmer and the guppies. They were all one team…paradoxically all in it alone…and all in it together.
On the following day, during the meet itself, the kids all lined the sides of the pool and cheered on their teammates for no other reason than that…they were teammates. Although the older kids were identifiable, it was nearly impossible to even tell who the little guys were, festooned by an oversized swimming caps and flailing away, but the color of the cap identified the swimmer as a teammate and deserving of their encouragement.
I thought… how many times have I been all of these kids at once… perceived to be fairly accomplished in some areas while personally flailing away in others just trying to finish without drowning? As my wife often says,” If you are a parent, you have a story to tell.” Isn’t that the truth. I further considered though, whether a parent, a spouse, or just an acquaintance, how nice it would be, if like those kids, we reached out to buoy each other up if only because we are all on the same team…all in it alone…and all in it together. I have long since learned that no matter how smoothly one seems to cut through the water, there are times and circumstance under which we are all guppies just trying to make it to the other side.