Celebrating the True Accomplishment
by Drew Holmes
This is the time of year when school bands, orchestras, and choirs have their first performances of the school year. Under normal circumstances this is a great feat since the beginning groups have only been playing for a few short weeks. This year has taken on a greater meaning because these will be the first performances in almost two years.
As welcome as these concerts are, they are not what we should be celebrating. The journey to get to the stage is the real accomplishment.
2011 was a low point in my life due to my recent divorce. I was a bit adrift and having trouble seeing my path forward. Somehow, I heard of Tough Mudder, the obstacle course race, and knew that I had to give it a try. A 12–13 mile long run through the mud sounded like the perfect unattainable goal, a white whale to pursue. But I was overweight and had never done anything remotely that athletic before. How could I possibly accomplish this unreasonable goal?
Having never been a runner, I was most concerned about running that kind of distance, so I did the only reasonable thing and signed up for a half marathon. To prepare for that I ran shorter races, first 5k and then 10k. On race day my half marathon time was respectable, not exceptional, but I finished the race and proved I could do it.
Now that I knew I could run the distance, I needed to get stronger to negotiate the obstacles. I started going to the gym and doing functional fitness (CrossFit-style) classes. One day a week, at first, then more as I was able. Eventually I was biking daily, going to the gym four days a week, and running most of the other days. While focusing on the goal of completing a Tough Mudder, I got stronger and faster, lost over 50 pounds, and was in the best shape of my life.
As the day of the event approached, doubts crept in. This was an unknown event. What if I could not finish it? What if I got injured? What if I got sick and did not even make it to the starting line? What if everything I had done to prepare was meaningless?
Then something occurred to me: the outcome of the event was irrelevant. All along I thought my goal was *to* run a Tough Mudder when really it was * to be able to* run a Tough Mudder. While I was hyper focused on preparing for the event, I had already succeeded in accomplishing my goal without even knowing it. Once I realized this the pressure was off. Completing the course was no longer the goal but rather the celebration of that goal.
When I think of what the kids who performed recently have been through, I can’t help but remember this lesson. They have had so many obstacles in their way, so many advantages taken away from them. But they have persisted. They took the stage and performed.
Yes, we have had to recalibrate our expectations of these performances. And yes, when compared to past years some of the ensembles are not as advanced as they might have been. So what? No one has ever had to weather the storm they have come through. No one has had to work so hard to have the opportunity to be part of a performance. For these kids being on stage and making live music is an amazing feat.
And that is the accomplishment worth celebrating.