When the Universe Tells You What You Need To Hear

Today, I'll admit I was a bit grumpy.  I was taking my daughter to a gymnastics camp and I was grumpy about it.  A little background:  I was a swimmer.  My mother and father were swimmers. And when my daughter started swimming and showed a good deal of talent, we were beyond excited.

Fast forward to today and the possibility of my daughter NOT wanting to swim anymore.  "Mom, I want to try gymnastics."  to which I replied that most girls in gymnastics started when they were really, really young.  "But I just don't think I want to swim anymore."

Whhhhhaaaaat??

So begrudgingly, I enrolled her in a gymnastics camp for a week.  And this morning, when I took her, I was quiet.  So quiet, that she asked if everything was alright.  "NO!" I screamed on the inside, "NO! You don't want to swim anymore!! It's your gift and you're leaving it behind!"  But on the outside, "Everything's fine--let's get you inside and signed in."

Standing there waiting, a mom with her child started talking to my daughter.  Something ordinarily I would do in an effort to facilitate a friendly connection for my daughter in the class, but was too grumpy to do.  She asked if she had done gymnastics before and I answered that she was just trying it--she's actually a swimmer.  "Oh, how great to do gymnastics--great for cross training and strength--great experiences! I was a swimmer and I did gymnastics for a little bit and it really helped my butterfly!" And BOOM, just like that, I realized just how wrong I have been.

When I was in college at the University of Arizona, I moaned and groaned about taking classes that were NOT photography.   Not general ed classes, but the ones I was required to take for my degree--painting, graphic design, jewelry, drawing.  I ONLY WANTED TO TAKE PHOTOGRAPHY.

I. AM. A. PHOTOGRAPHER.

But looking back, I realize just how well rounded they made me.  They gave me structure, experiences and framework that I never would have gotten had I had only photography classes.  And several years after graduation, after working in the photography industry from the time I was 16, I left photography for a while.  And when I returned, my path in that other career lent structure, experiences and a framework to my photography.  Frankly, I might not be where I am now in my photography career without having left it.

And maybe my daughter would leave swimming and never go back or maybe leave it just for a while.

I almost cried.  You know that feeling you have when you realize you've been so wrong and want so badly to apologize?

I introduced myself and thanked her for her words.  "It's so ironic to meet you today and hear your thoughts, I really needed to hear those words."

And then she introduced herself to me... "I'm Angel."