Page 28 of Balancing Act

At Lily’s request, they picked up burritos on the way to their next stop of the day. Soon, Jamie was pulling her van into a park that she knew had one of the best views on the entire island. They parked, and Jamie pulled out two camp chairs from the van and opened the awning, offering them protection from the light rain. She pulled out a drawer that revealed a hidden table.

“So you, like, really live in this thing,” Lily observed, poking her head into the back of the van. “I can see how it could be cool, I guess.” She sat and opened her lunch.

Jamie rummaged around before hopping out of the van and joining Lily. She set two packs of sticky notes and two markers on the table in front of them with a small white box. Purposefully, she didn’t acknowledge them, diving into her own lunch.

“Okay, I can’t take it any longer.” Lily crumpled up the wrapper from her lunch and reached for one of the sticky-note pads. “What’s with the sticky notes?”

Jamie took her time taking her last bite, chewing and swallowing before answering Lily.

“We’re going to clear all the negativity.”

Lily watched skeptically as Jamie pulled a small portable fireplace from the back of the van and got to work setting it up. In minutes, a fire was burning.

“On the sticky notes, I want you to write down everything that makes you mad, sad, frustrated, or annoyed about gymnastics. You don’t need to tell me what they are,” she followed quickly, reading the look on Lily’s face. “Write it down, crumple it up, then toss that thought into the fire and watch it burn.”

“Okay,” Lily said slowly, not sounding totally convinced. “I don’t get it; what does that do?”

“It’s symbolic,” Jamie explained. “We externalize the things that are weighing us down and literally let that shit go.” She cringed. Maybe she shouldn’t be saying cuss words around a fourteen-year-old.

A smile cracked Lily’s lips.

“My moms say I’m not allowed to say words like shit...” She’d whispered the last word.

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m not their kid. I’m allowed to say those words.” She smiled conspiratorially at Lily. “Are you open to trying this exercise with me? I sure know I’ve got some stuff I need to let go of, too.”

Lily nodded, and they each grabbed a stack of sticky notes. They got to work and wrote down the things they each wanted to let go of before tossing them in the fire.

A while later, Lily said, “I think I’m finally out of things to write. That was fun. You still haven’t told me what’s in the box, though.” She eyed the small square box on the table.

Jamie grabbed the box, pulling it toward herself as she ran the pad of her thumb over the lid. She flipped the box open, using the lid to obscure its contents from Lily. A flood of emotions washed over her as her fingers traced the engraved details, each line reminding her of the years of dedication, sacrifice, and discipline it took to win this very medal.

She pulled it out of its box, and Lily’s eyes widened.

“Is that...” she whispered, her hand over her mouth.

“Yeah. My first Olympic gold medal.” She reached the hand with the medal out to Lily, offering it to her. “I want you to hold on to it for me for a while.”

Handing over this medal to Lily wasn’t just a gesture of encouragement; it was so much more—a symbolic passing of dreams with the hope that they would inspire and propel Lily to chase her own glory.

“Holy shit.” Lily took the medal from Jamie and stared at it. “Sorry,” she said quickly.

“I didn’t hear anything,” Jamie said, playfully feigning aloofness. “I want you to take good care of that for me. Keep it with you, and know that that is what you’re working toward, and I’m right here to help you.” Lily nodded vigorously. “Good. Now, let’s get packed up and get you back to the gym.”

By the time they pulled back into the gym parking lot, Beth’s car was there waiting for them. Jamie pulled the van to a stop and cut the engine, but Lily didn’t hop out immediately.

“Can we do more stuff like today? You know, as part of my training?”

“We can do anything you want. It’s your training time.”

Jamie wanted Lily to feel totally in control of her time, training, and journey, and she would do anything to help her get the things she needed. Suddenly, she was struck with an idea.

“How do you feel about inspiration boards?” Jamie asked.

“I don’t know what those are.”

“You’re going to find out.” She smiled. “I’ll talk to your mom and find a good time to work that in.”

Lily beamed and climbed out of the front seat.