"They Aren't Watching You"

My youngest loves running, and she's so excited about Track and Field. She's nervous, however, about the track meets because, as she says, everyone will be looking at me.

We call the Wise Big Sister (an elite runner and state cross country champion who earned a college running scholarship) for advice. What do you do when you love what you do but don't want people watching you?

She tells my daughter the plain truth of the matter: Nobody is watching you.

She explains, "The parents there are watching their own children, and no one is focusing on you except people who love you. And even if others were, don't waste mental energy on wondering what other people are thinking and if they are watching you. Running takes enough mental energy that you don't have any to spare."

A good word for running and for life. They aren't watching you, and if they were, you don't have that kind of energy to care.