It was this moment that I knew as a Dad that this daughter of mine had a special drive. A year earlier, we had visited the same park in rural Pennsylvania and try as she might she was ‘skunked’ by the merry go round and its old fashioned Brass rings.
So here we are, a year later, her timing and concentration are at full tilt and she grabbed her first ring. Her face and voice lit up with her reward in hand !! I was impressed and wondered…Had she been thinking about this day since her last visit ? What lessons had she learned from the prior year to help her today. Was it a mental improvement, was it physical improvement, was it peer pressure, was it the taste of defeat and the desire not to repeat that feeling….I never asked her, for me it was important to share in her success and accomplishment. I knew that this young daughter of mine had a special drive.
Today this young woman journeyed to Boston to begin her ‘college days’. She has had many moments where that brass ring seemed out of grasp, I continue to observe in awe how she has met those challenges. How she, her mom and her many friends also adapt and met the many middle and high school challenges. Admission into this college was a repeat of this merry go round. Success did not come at the first try, but this daughter of mine has a special drive, and she is experienced at getting brass rings. We all wish her the best !! Yea Maddy…..
And what of the brass ring from that day ??? It has been part of my key chain for the past ten years and each day it reminds me of my little girl’s lesson to always give it your best….
