Push It
My father treated my elementary school Girls On The Run 5k like it was a combat mission in some remote part of the world. I remember him screaming at me to keep going as I wanted to stop and me screaming back because he was annoying me. While concerned parents looked towards us, he gave me a few words of encouragement. Right before I conquered the last half-mile he said the following, “Are you going to just roll over and give up or are you going to finish your mission? Push it Clairebear!”
At the time I just thought he was just being overly-enthusiastic. The same type of enthusiasm he had that would prompt him to say, “Way to get after it and kick ass!” after we came back from selling Girl Scout cookies. One of the most admirable traits my father has is that he takes everything head-on, all gas no breaks. He never backs down from a challenge or achieving a goal. Because of his mentality, my sisters and I don’t either. Dedrijinett (my mother) focused on making sure we did calming activities like spending our free time in the library and doing arts and crafts. Mark decided to focus on making sure we had that dog in us. It was and still is the perfect symbiotic relationship. There have been many times in my life when my dad has told me to “push it”. In Mark’s world, “Push it” simply means that you better try your best to give it your all, and no matter what, don’t give up.
Starting this chapter of my life hasn’t been easy. I mean if it was easy everyone would be doing this. Recently, I sat in Newcomb’s food court with sticky fingers eating overpriced chicken as I talked to him on the phone while he waited for my car to be serviced. I had just taken my first midterm and I was not feeling confident in my abilities at this university at all. I quietly fought back tears as I recalled to him the details of that day. Mark can be hardcore but he’s a girl-dad through and through. At the end of my rant, I heard him let out a small sigh of sadness. He paused for a moment and then said in his calm voice, “Hey sweetheart, don’t worry about it. You’ve got this, just push it”.
Suddenly, a wave of warmth rushed over me, and before I knew it a single teardrop landed on my computer. He had said the exact words I needed to hear. My dad’s journey has not been one of sunshine and rainbows. During his time in college, he experienced hardships just like many other low-income, minority students. However, he preserved and achieved. There comes a time in our lives when we must motivate ourselves. It’s those times in the library when it’s late at night, the reading isn’t finished, the test is tomorrow, your person who doesn’t know that they’re your person won’t act right, and all you’ve had for dinner is popcorn, a protein bar, and water. Not speaking from personal experience at all here. Those are the moments when we can’t call on anyone but Jesus and ourselves. Those are the moments when we must tell ourselves to “push it”. Although we may be in the trenches now, the goal is to “push it” hard enough so that one day we can tell someone else to “push it” because we know from experience that self-motivation and accountability are the real keys to true success. Take care and believe in yourself.
Love,
Claire
