THE ADRENALINE LIFE LESSON Yesterday began the city-wide preliminaries for summer swimming in Cincinnati. Zach didnt expect to qualify for finals, but he was pleased just to be in the preliminary race. All the swimmers for his heat of freestyle were climbing onto the blocks and getting ready to dive into the ice cold pool. I had my camera out to photograph him on the block. Except Zach was NOT on the block. I stared in disbelief as the gun went off without him diving into the pool with the other kids. I leaped from the top row of the bleachers -- which was actually only about 40 inches from the ground but thats really high if its early in the morning and youre kind of hung over -- and began running. ZAAAAAACH! I shouted at the top of my lungs with all the doomed desperation of Maria in West Side Story screaming for Chico to come kill her because she didnt want to live in a world where her irresponsible teenager would forget to show up for his race…Well, no, that’s NOT why Maria was screaming, was it? That’s why I was screaming. Maria was LUCKY Tony died and she didnt have to be a MOTHER. Zach was standing with friends in a huge room. The second he saw my face -- red with rage, hysterical, mascara smeared with tears -- he knew hed missed his race. Run to your coaches and see if theres any way they can get you in the final heat, I shouted. Zach took off for the pool. His coaches eyes flashed with a desire to disembowel him but they somehow managed to control this impulse and pulled him up on a block the second before the gun blasted in the final heat. Zach dove in the water and -- miracle of miracles -- swam faster than he ever had in his 15 years on this planet and he qualified to come back to the finals today. I watched Zach from the stands climb out of the water after the race. He was smiling with joy until our eyes met and then he looked down with shame and walked into the locker room. What to do to him? How to get THROUGH that I love him and believe in him but life doesnt often give you second chances and in two years he’s going to be off at college and needs to be on time? Ah, how I wished I had the wisdom of Andy Taylor walking along with Opie in The Andy Griffith Show. And then it hit me: BE ANDY! Zach and I walked through the parking lot after the meet in silence and then as we got in my Civic, I turned to him calmly and said, May I ask you something? Whatever, Zach said. Which is NOT what Opie would have said to Andy, but, well, whatever. I was just wonderin what you learned from this experience. Cause if we mess up in life its okay, son, as long as we learn a life lesson.” Zach thought for a moment, looked at me kind of puzzled that I was speaking with a southern drawl, and then said, I guess what I learned is when you screw up and you’re in a total panic and know everyone wants to kill you, you get this massive shot of adrenaline and it actually helps you do well.” I let go of my Andy Griffith drawl and said, “That’s NOT the right life lesson.” But the more I think about it, I do believe it’s not the WORST life lesson. Fear we’re not going to meet the deadline, panic we’ll get fired if we don’t try harder than we ever have before…There’s a lot to be said for the rush of adrenaline pure terror gives us in terms of motivation.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 03:32:12 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015