I had lunch with my son yesterday. He shared with me some of his fears about going to Evergreen in a few months. I immediately took on his fear and spent the night tossing and turning. Letting go has never been my strong suit.
I met a girl recently. She was about the same age as my son. She shared a story of driving for the first time on the busy highways near Seattle. She pulled over and called her mother in tears. She said that her mother was exceedingly calm and assured her that she would be fine. She said, "She was so matter-of-fact about it." She went on, "If I had sensed any fear in her, I'm not sure that I could have gotten myself back out on the highway." She knew that her mother believed in her and it made it possible for her to believe in herself.
I imagine that her mother was probably on the other end of the line racked with fear for her daughter. She put on a facade because that's what her daughter needed. Is this dishonest? Perhaps. Or perhaps she just recognized, in that moment, that the fear was an illusion and refused to allow it to grip her or her child.
She is my heroine today.
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