My Heart is on the Mat

I once saw a shirt that stated My Heart is on the Mat.

To any mother who has watched three periods of sweat, endurance, and passion in their wrestler’s eyes, you know exactly what that shirt means.

Win or lose, the young men and women shake hands, give it their all, and often times leave the mat with raw emotion on their faces.  It is a mental battle and a sport that creates mental toughness.  

Mental toughness can be difficult to achieve.  Few activities create or work on mental toughness in 2018.  Wrestling, however, is all about the heart and soul of small failures leading to great victories and tough losses that challenge the competitor to work harder.  Stamina, sportsmanship, and pride are developed and fostered with every passing week.

Though my typically weekly thoughts express my worry and serve as attempt to gain clarity, share hope, educate, and raise awareness, today my gratitude is for a sport that helps my family focus and my son escape.  It is the sport that gives my son an outlet for all that I know he cannot understand in this world and all that he questions about what he sees. 

On the mat, it is him against the world.  He stands there strong and tall, ready for battle.  

It is a time for him to shine, focus, and I watch as he places his heart on the mat, minute after minute, period after period.  Win or lose, there is always something gained.

To all the mothers who watch their sons on the mat, I support you, and I understand you.

My son does not always win, though I kiss him and tell him how proud of him I am each time he gets out there.  I am so proud of his progress, his intensity, and his effort.  The truth is that no matter what the score at the end of the match, he has gained a new skill, level of confidence, or insight on a skill or position to work on in the future.  Each match helps him to grow and better himself as a person and as an athlete.

Beauty

Take a moment on this beautiful week to savor the sun and the beauty around.

My sweet baby girl reminded me to do so this morning.

She climbed into bed with a smile on her face and said, “Mom, I need you to open your eyes and look at something special.”

“What is it?” I said through foggy lenses.  

She was pointing to a reflection that the sun was creating on the wall.  There it was, glistening with every color of the sun.  The only way to describe the colors and the patterns shining through the curtains is to think about the inner workings of a kaleidoscope.   I would never have noticed it if she had not pointed it out.

“Isn’t just so beautiful Mom?”

“Yes, Kelsey, it is.”  It truly was magnificent.

A morning reflection I would not have stopped to recognize otherwise.  Stop and recognize the beauty today, bask in the light of the sun, and smile.

My daughter endures so much, but she always stops to see the beauty in all around her.  She teaches me so much every day.