In preparation

Back to Nashville! Its cold, snowy, overcast, and basically depressing. What is this, Seattle? But then again I forgot it was winter and it sure did hit me once I hit southern Georgia when I got out of the car to pump gas on the way back from Tampa. Well, shucks! Goodbye beautiful sunshine and ocean scenery.  A few weeks at home and my sister called me out on it. She said, “Alright Laura! Ever since you have got back to Nashville all you do is complain.” I do love this city, but I got spoiled and I’m all about the view. So, time to suck it up. The fun is over and its time to focus on this board exam. I have an option of getting a job and studying for month. Its really torturous figuring out all this stuff! I caught myself pacing up and down the hall for no reason. Basically, I have lacked more motivation to study and stay focused than I ever have. Last night I put the fear of God in me and read through a few scriptures on strength, boldness, and faith. Then I asked God to really give me the persistence and self-discipline to stay in tune to finish out this last stretch. Its like a marathon really, I’m just exhausted with school. 

Day 1 after my pep talk. I decided to start off the day shooting some hoops. It’s like therapy for me. Well, I walk into the gym and I noticed a wild shooter. Usually, at a recreation center there are a few ‘White Chocolates”. If you haven’t seen the movie Along Came Polly then basically you better just sit in the corner in tornado position. But this guy, well I was in for a treat! I decided to shoot on the other end to avoid the madness but he immediately came to my end. I thought-here we go.

The young man was developmentally delayed and had a form of mental retardation. It was clear. Most people are uncomfortable being around people with disabilities. That’s because anything that is out of the ‘norm’ and unpredictable should be avoided. I’m so glad I chose a career path in this field, because it really gets you out of your comfort zone and they really teach us more than we can teach them. It was great! He kept the hi-fives coming nearly after every shot. We rebounded for each other and he screamed and got so excited every time I made a shot or he made one. I love basketball but this just added more excitement to the game. He was a little disappointed when I left, but he managed to find some more people to shoot with.

A group of kids about 7-10yrs old were on the sidelines playing while I was shooting.  I heard a huge bang and then noticed the kids trying to lift up a backboard that fell from the wall to the ground. Nobody was really watching them, so I intervened and asked them to just let someone who worked there to take care of it. I smiled and said “Yall don’t need to get hurt now!” Man, how did I get so old so fast and when did I become a chaperone? A little girl from the group approached me and asked me if I played for Belmont since I had the shirt on. I said, “I used to hun. It's been a few years though.” Just another reason for me to feel old! She then followed me later to the water fountain and I said, “What a pretty shirt you have on. Did you get that for Christmas?” She said, “No, but I wish dad could have been there for Christmas. He’s in jail.”  I really didn’t know what to say but that I hope she had a good rest of the day.

I immediately thought why isn’t someone working with these kids that I ran into today? Why aren’t we more involved with kids and young people! They really need discipline and people to talk to and of course, shoot hoops with.

I wasn’t prepared for what God threw at me today but it really made me realize how much I want to work with kids and this alone gave me my ability to go to the library and get some good study time in! I love how the little things can inspire us and give us the motivation for the day. This alone gave me a second wind. Maybe a perfect scenery isn't really what you need to get you fired up for the day. I'm so glad I’m back home and let the studying begin!