I sat with
other members of my grade eight gymnastics club, mesmerized by her. That night
she received a perfect ten on the beam, an unheard of feat; but it was only the
beginning. Nadia Comaneci was about to explode onto the athletic world stage. At
fourteen, she would go on to compete in Montreal's 1976 Olympics, receiving seven
perfect scores and earning five medals, including three gold. The rest is
history.
Back in my own school gymnasium, I'd try to be
like Nadia Comaneci and perform the perfect cartwheel on a practice ‘beam’
which in reality was a low bench and a fair bit wider. But even then it wasn’t easy
and I'd fall off more often than not. Over and over I'd practice it, but I
never seemed to get it quite perfect and was definitely not ready to graduate
to the actual beam. I felt defeated and clumsy.
My bigger
failure however, was in failing to see the vigorous training that had been
required in order for her to attain those few perfect moments; the many falls
she had to have taken, the daunting sacrifices, the expert coaching. All I saw
was the perfection.
I no
longer attempt cartwheels, let alone on a bench, but life has often become a
balancing act in other ways; balancing schedules, family life, personal time
and my own pursuits of writing. And believe me when I say that balance in life
has never been my strong suit. But since those days in the gym, I have come to
accept that I will never attain perfection, on or off the balance beam. Sometimes
the grace is more evident in the falling.
The same
night that I was privileged to watch Nadia Comaneci, there were other competitors
who performed well, stellar even; but perhaps they wobbled, or worse yet, fell.
They weren't perfect. But they were able to get back up and compete as if it
had never happened, a feat of another kind.
I just need
to have enough grace, to get up and try again and to let others do the same.
*Originally
published under the column entitled A Slice of Life by Gloria Guest in the
Moose Jaw Express (2011)
"Sometimes the grace is more evident in the falling." So very, very true!
ReplyDeleteHi Gloria! Once again, thought provoking words for me to ponder and live into. What I take from your post is to fall does not mean I have to fail. Thank you my friend!
ReplyDeleteI also remember being inspired by Nadia that year! She was a phenomenon!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gloria, for inspiring us with thoughts about balance and grace. I appreciate your quote about grace: "I just need to have enough grace, to get up and try again and to let others do the same." I just came across the following quote by St. Thomas Aquinas, "Grace is nothing else but a certain beginning of glory within us." God can help us attain the kind of grace you and St. Thomas Aquinas speak of, if only we ask him and then let him begin his grace in us.
ReplyDelete"the many falls..., the daunting sacrifices, the expert coaching." Sounds like the writing life, too. Good perspective to not look at perfection without realizing the work that went into the success.
ReplyDelete