I woke up this morning to thunder and lightning, and the power going out. I was laying in bed thinking about everything that has happened over the past few weeks and as I was reliving all the awesome events that have happened; and I just got this stupid smile on my face and began to laugh. Yep, it was 4:30 am (amazing I know) and I was laying in bed laughing. As I am laughing I decided to get my butt out of bed and write, instead of rolling over and sleeping for a few more hours.
It all stated two weeks ago today, I was on my way to the Jostens Renaissance National Conference. It took two hours stuck in traffic, a brief layover (aka. SPRINT) through the Atlanta airport, and a grand total of 4 hours in flight before I finally arrived at my hotel at 1:30am, but it was totally worth it. The conference started with getting my picture taken with the Heisman Trophy, and then I got to wear all four champ rings from last year (Packer, Cardinals, Bruins and Mavericks). The opening session started with the opportunity to watch my dad on stage in front of 1100 people, not going to lie, watching him speak never gets old. After my dad was done I got to have front row seats to a Parachute concert. My sister and I were standing on our chairs singing and dancing, later to find out that everyone in the room could see us and was giggling at us… including the band.
Later that night I was able to go to Disney and wander around with my sister and my dad, it was a wonderful evening. It ended with amazing seats to the fireworks and a bus ride back to the hotel laughing with family friends. Saturday included a Pep Rally that had a Star Wars theme, so I got to see my brother dressed up like Darth Vader… pretty sure one of his life goals is now compete. That evening I was able to attend an awards banquet honoring the best teachers in the business, and heard two Congressional Medal of Honor winners speak, truly awesome in every sense of the word. The night ended with a small gathering in our hotel room with some close family friends, and laughing so hard we cried.
Sunday morning came way too early, a common theme I have noticed at most conferences. I had the amazing opportunity to have breakfast with Kevin Carroll before his closing session. If you don’t know who Kevin Carroll is I highly recommend google-ing him today. Not only is this man an amazing speaker, but he has the ability to inspire me. Kevin’s message is about remembering how to play, and that we spend so much of our life worrying about how we are going to pay the bills, or how we compare to those around us that we forget to enjoy the ride…
While lying in bed this morning listening to the rain I was thinking about how lucky I have been to be able to play the last few weeks. I got to attend an amazing conference with many once in a life time events; last weekend my best friend from high school came to visit me, it was the first time we had seen each other in five years… I was able to have a play date with my best friend. I have always said that I am a kid at heart, but it wasn’t until this morning that I realized how important remembering to be a kid is to me. I LOVE TO PLAY, I am good at it, and I am no longer going to be ashamed that I tend to think more like a child than an adult.
I have come to realize how important play is to me. I am convinced that someday I will have a love story like a Disney Princess, and that having a plan for the Zombie Apocalypse is not time wasted. I believe having random dance parties in my car so people laugh at me is for the betterment of society, and that a nap can fix everything. I believe that I should sing along to the song that is playing at the store/coffee shop/movie if I know the words and feel like singing and that pink and glitter are always acceptable. I believe that when in doubt asking your parents for advice is a really good idea… even thought the now just tell me that I have to decide for myself, and that my siblings will forever me my best friends, greatest cheerleaders and favorite playmates a girl could ever ask for.
We spend our childhood wanting to grow up, and then we become adults and wish we could be kids again… why can’t we be both? I am making a promise to myself to embrace my inner child, because it is the silly things that I listed about me that make me who I am, and if people don’t like the kid in me, than they don’t like who I truly am. I challenge you to take a look at that five year old that is hidden in you somewhere, let ‘em out for a while and feel how good it is to play, and laugh, and just be goofy. Don’t let being an adult stop you from remembering to laugh at life like a child.
You have it all & Confidence,
Lyndsay
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