Once you are well into your adult life would you ever consider visiting the individuals from your childhood who helped mold you into the person you are present day? In this blog, I will share with you a trip I recently took where I visited with various individuals who positively impacted my life. I will take you on a journey where we will reflect upon those who have positively played a part in developing the people we are today.
Recently, I took a trip down to Orlando, Florida, which is where I grew up. I would drive the roads I used to take daily, all while reminiscing on my childhood. I will talk about two stops I made on this trip, which consisted of the coaches from my childhood in gymnastics. My daily agenda as a child was filled with school and gymnastics. The gym was my second home, and my coaches were another set of parents to me. It was in these early developmental years that I would learn a lot about the lessons of life.
Before I move forward explaining my encounter with my childhood coaches, I want you to take a second to reflect. Take some time to drift off to your childhood and think about a positive memory you had during this time. Did sport help develop you at a young age? Did a specific teacher or coach from your childhood positively impact your life? Okay, now I want you to think about these questions as I share with you the rest of my excursion and the impact it had on me.
As I parked the car and walked up to the door of the gym, I held in my memory what the gym looked like years before. I can still remember the chalk dust floating in the air, the sound of the equipment when you were on it, and the voices that would provide you feedback after the turns you would take on each event.
It was in the moment I walked into the gym years later, it instantly felt like the old home I remembered for many years of my childhood. It was like I was 12 years old all over again. As I walked closer, my coaches recognized me and yelled out my name! I was greeted with arms wide open and a bear hug. It was a special moment to see them. I took a second to look around the gym and remember it the way I used to.
We caught up in a short amount of time and flew through the years as if you were turning the pages of a book. It felt as if not much time had gone by. We reminisced and shared in some laughter over the many memories that were made over the years. We spoke about where we are in life now, where we have been, and what we look forward to in the future.
As our time catching up would draw to a close, I stayed back a while longer to reflect over the years, look at the banners hanging, and to simply reminisce. I cannot believe how quick the years go by. I have become much more sentimental in my life; I believe it is something that happens as you grow older. I reflect more and wonder how I got to where I am today. You begin to appreciate your journey more and the people who play a role in it.
This was just one stop. My next stop was to meet up with my other childhood coach. This coach brought me up from the very beginning. She taught me everything I knew about the sport of gymnastics and would teach me the many lessons of life at a very young age. It was great to catch up and reflect on where we both are today. I was grateful to spend time with her.
If you ever have a chance to reach out to the individuals that molded you or had a profound impact on your life, I highly encourage you do so. You may share some laughs from the memories you all have from the years or perhaps you gain a greater appreciation of where you are in life today.
Life is precious. Life is a gift that is given to us each day, not guaranteed. Today, people are more likely to be notified of complaints daily, therefore let’s change it up and recognize those who played a positive impact on our life. When you look back, they could be the missing puzzle piece that put you together from the very beginning to make you whole present day. Just a thought:).
