|  | Jennifer Heger | | Writing for Children |
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This spring I stretched myself into some new territory. At times I was a bit sore from it all, but I have emerged stronger and more agile.
The biggest stretch was attending my first football coach's conference. I have been coaching junior football for two years and was thrilled at the opportunity to learn from college, high school, and junior football coaches. I walked into the fancy-pants Marriot Hotel lobby to register and was immediately overwhelmed. I'm a fairly tall woman so I have never been in a crowd that I wasn't able to see over or around. Here, I was dwarfed by the men around me. I couldn't see the map, the help desk, or the signage. There was no out, so I went with the flow, overwhelmed as I was. The buzz, the tenor, of about 250 men filled my head. The deep hum was something I'd never experienced. I've attended many social work conferences, and am accustomed to the din of women. I took a deep breath and plunged forward, sweaty hands and all.
I haphazardly found my way to my first session, relieved to find an empty seat in the back. I grew more comfortable over the course of two days, learned beyond my expecations, and left exhausted from being hurtled outside my proverbial comfort zone. And, oh yeah, I can't wait for the season to start!
On the heels of the conference, I was invited to be speak at Carnation Elementary School, for Young Authors week. I have spoken to small groups and classes, but never to a large group. Again, I was stretched. I found that I was more stretched by preparing and planning than I was by the actual speaking. During my planning, I scribbled, scratched, massaged, and created a program that incorporated their curriculum as well as my own work. I was scheduled to present over 4 days and was worried that I'd be too nervous to enjoy any of it. Not so. I had apparently stretched enough in the planning that I was ready to hit the road running. The kids and teachers were so engaging, I can only hope they enjoyed the time as much as I did.
So, while I'm hoping to eek out some quiet spaces and places this summer, I am also glad to have stretched myself and look forward to more opportunities. How about you? What have you done to stretch yourself lately? And, what were the results?
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