No Pain No Gain
We’ve all heard the phrase, “no pain, no gain.” We probably use it most often in reference to exercise. But I think it’s also a truth that applies to us stepping out of our comfort zone and trying new things. In other words, even grown ups should be having growing pains. I think as long as we keep on growing, which we hopefully do, we all have growing pains well past our childhood and adolescence.
Recently I was mentally chastising myself for things in my home being in a bit of disarray (a grossssss understatement…). I thought to myself, “After this many years of practice, why can’t I get it together?!” After a moment or two of considering the fact that each member of my family has individually been stepping outside of his/her comfort zone lately and trying some new things, I decided to positively reframe my thinking.
I was reminded of something that happened when my older daughter was little:
Progress and Pain
Nothing can fully prepare new parents for all the strange, unexpected maladies that befall little ones. And even though we were blessed with two overall healthy girls, we had our share of small (and some not-so small) scares: breastmilk colitis, innocent heart murmurs, eczema, hives, boils, extra teeth, and even early vision problems.
Through it all, I was blessed with not one but two pediatricians whose own daughters were about six months older than each of mine. They were often both able to say, “Yeah, we’ve been there. Just a few months ago.” They both had insight into what we were going through that was still very fresh in their minds.
A bad sign??
So when my older daughter was around two or three, her shins suddenly seemed to be constantly covered in bruises.
Of course, bruises stood out especially noticeably on her extremely fair skin. But I grew concerned that the bruises could be a sign of something amiss.
So at her well visit I decided to point them out to the doctor. He examined her shins, gave me a knowing look, and said, “It just means that she’s trying new things. It’s actually a good sign.”
Or maybe just a badge of courage…
So what seemed like it could have been cause for alarm was actually indication of my daughter progressing as she should at that age.
In truth, she had been an extremely cautious toddler. She only walked once she was fairly steady and wasn’t in danger of falling. (Same child didn’t like messes on her fingers, and to all of her grandparents’ chagrin, ate her first birthday cake with a fork!) So up to this point, many of the normal bumps and bruises for children her age had been absent.
And being the protective, first-time parent that I was, I thought the absence of bruises was a good thing!
But when she (somewhat belatedly) started discovering more physical play and testing out her newfound gross-motor skills, the bruises began to appear.
She was finally branching out and taking some risks. And she had the bruises to prove it.
No Pain No Progress…?
Isn’t it sort of the same when we add new things into our schedule? Or chase after new endeavors?
Unless you have tons of leisure time on your hands, adding ANYTHING NEW into your life can and probably will throw off your equilibrium in some area: sleep, diet, exercise, home management, budgeting, relationships, and so on.
But the good news is that the bruises didn’t last forever. As my daughter mastered her newfound skills, the bruises began to fade. And she met new challenges that presented other types of growing pains. And as we became more seasoned parents, we learned to (mostly) take them in stride.
By the same token, I chose in that moment to rest in knowing that the initial disarray in our home likely stemmed from all of us being pulled in different directions in our different pursuits. It doesn’t have to mean that the resulting chaos in our home is a permanent situation. Rather and panic and assume we’re all hopeless slobs, I will relax and see a (temporarily!) messy home as a GOOD sign. Like those bruises which healed and were forgotten, our difficulties in managing everything will fade. We’ll adjust to having new, different responsibilities. And hopefully we’ll do better next time growth opportunity arises.
If a few growing pains are the price of GROWTH, I guess I’ll take them.
What about you? Have you had any growing pains lately? If so, please share below in the comments.
Blessings,
