Big Pond or Big Fish?

First of all, happy Easter everyone. In this season, I am reminded of just how blessed I am to have a Savior, one who was willing to die, then beat death, for me. The very thought overwhelms me... 

Speaking of overwhelmed...

Most days, I am a pretty confident person. I act like a pretty big fish in a pretty little pond. But this weekend, as I tried to read articles, search for more articles, write a tiny and most insignificant paper, and get a bunch of loose ends tidied up for the class I am currently in, my confidence got a little bit shaken up. Well, actually it was when I stared down the barrel of a very daunting syllabus for my next class that I got a little shaken up. Suddenly, I felt like a very little fish in a much bigger pond. 

Weird. I'm pretty sure I can handle it. I've handled it this far. What about today's syllabus review and textbook purchasing got me feeling like I'm back at the very first day of school again? 

But I think this fear is a pretty good thing. It keeps me grounded. It keeps me pushing, trying to do better, continuing to work harder. Maybe it's okay to feel like a little fish every once in a while. Someday I'll be a bigger fish...probably in a bigger pond. Either way, I've got to just keep swimming.

Did I really make that bet?

Today, Danielle says to me something like, We should find a way to make us workout in the morning before work. *Shrug* and I kept working. An hour or so later, I started thinking to myself, I wish I didn't sleep so darn long in the morning. I could get so much more done. And then there was a light bulb above my head...complete with that little ding sound that comes with all great ideas.  

Danielle, were you serious about the morning workout thing? 

*Blank stare.*  I mean, I guess so. 

With the right incentives, it might just work. 

And thus, we launched the perfect type A, first-born, gold-star-loving competition to hopefully drag our bed-loving butts out of bed for some body-good sweatin'. We made a literal gold star chart. Seriously. The bet? Simple. The person with the least amount of weekday, before-work, substantial workouts (gold stars on the chart) pays the other's way to a play at Spring Green's outdoor theater, complete with the picnic and the celebratory drinks. There's also an ambiguous alternate prize for the winner of the bonus round of any other workouts which, of course, is represented with other colored stars on our chart. 

We may be nerdy, but we're going to be working hard before sun-up for the next six weeks. That's for sure. It doesn't take much to get us going apparently. But I'm glad for it. I hope I'm just as glad for it at 5:00 am on Monday morning.