One of the reasons I post about my fitness journey is to hopefully inspire others, but today, it was my mini me who left me feeling inspired. Quinn, a 12 year old, boldly ran in the Rocky Run 5K a race with over 30,000 people, predominantly adults đ . Think I mightâve felt a bit intimidated at her age, but she smiled, was in the zone and had a great time the entire way.
Not only was she determined to cross the finish line, but she maintained the pace she set for herself and demonstrated what hard work, commitment and dedication is all about!
This is not the first time that Quinn has left me in awe and certainly will not be the last, but today she was definitely my inspiration! She went the distance!
Yesterday, I witnessed a wonderful display of integrity in action. My eleven year old and I pulled up to the local supermarket to do a little shopping, and she spotted a wallet near our parking spot. Without me saying a word, she immediately said, âMommy, I found a wallet. We should take it in the store and give it to customer service.â
Upon handing me the wallet, I looked through it for an ID to track down the owner, but there was none: just a good amount of cash and some insurance cards. Quinn, whoâs such a great critical thinker, suggested that we see if a name or address is on one of the insurance cards. Lo and behold, there was!
We saw that the address was nearby, so we decided to take the wallet to the person. Unfortunately, no one was home, and we were concerned about leaving the wallet in plain sight since there was no screen door or mail slot, so we hid it under a decorative rock with childrenâs handprints.
Once we got home, I was just concerned that the person never locate the hidden wallet. Then Quinn suggested that I call the insurance company to see if they could call the owner since I took a picture of the information. When I called, the representative said that she actually knows the person personally and would let them know.
The person called me back and expressed their gratitude and how wonderful it is that there are people who still go out of their way to be kind. I quickly let them know that it was my daughter who not only found the wallet but came up with ways to get it back to them.
Though most would hope to get a reward, Quinn never asked about one and was just happy to hear how grateful the person was. I simply was glad to witness how much integrity and kindness my daughter has. Itâs a priceless quality.
For the past seven years, kindergarten to sixth grade, Iâve been attending back to school nights to meet my daughterâs teachers, find out about the curriculum and to see how sheâs doing.
But I also get to learn how Iâm doing. Every year thereâs a âhow well do you know your childâ worksheet. For Quinn, some interests and favorites remain the same while others drastically change. What doesnât change, however, is my hope to always know my daughter well. As I filled out the paper, I was confident yet nervous in my responses. Quinnâs teacher even hovered over my shoulder briefly as I wrote. Then came the big reveal! Though our responses werenât identical for every entry, there was some overlap for each one. It makes me feel proud still âknowingâ my daughter, especially as sheâs in her pre-adolescent years đĽ°đ¤.
Yesterday evening was a proud moment not just for my fifth grader but for me. It was the spring orchestra concert, and out of six rows of violin players she continues to flourish in the first row. While this too makes me proud, seeing her remain disciplined and practice consistently without me constantly encouraging or admonishing her to do so is what truly makes me proud.
Proud Parent Moment
Her hard work is paying off, and I love the analogy that comes with her being a part of the school orchestra. While her individual role is significant, contributing effectively to the group of violinists, bassists and cellists allows them all to make beautiful music.
Most people associate triple A with vehicle troubles, but I learned this past Friday that thatâs not always the case. My fourth grader came home excited to share with me that she was the first of the school year to earn the triple A: All Achievement Award for classroom focus, effort, and desire to learn.
Though I am proud of Quinn, Iâm not at all surprised. She loves school and learning so much. But even still, I donât take her focus, efforts and desire to learn for granted, especially as I struggle to keep many of the college students I teach motivated and encouraged to learn.
I can only hope that she continues to have the intrinsic motivation to learn and put forth her best efforts as a student and person well into adulthood.
Mommy's Baby Steps 