I was reminded last night about something my friend Dumari from Children Lights said to me years ago…. What would Love do?

My daughter has had some anxiety stuff come up these past couple of years. And she is so dependant on me- to hear her, acknowledge her, and respect her discomfort. But something happened yesterday. After almost a year break of rock climbing (we used to do it together and after my ankle injury, I stopped taking us), I signed her up for a class.

She knew two other girls (cool factor #1), she had been climbing for 6 months like a monkey last year (super confident & cool factor #2), and I was going to hang out for the duration of the class (how nice am I ? cool factor #3). Well, my sad monkey fell apart after her first thrilling climb. And she said “my body says I need to go”.

And I’m thinking, Girl, I just paid $300 for this class, you are climbing! But, I didn’t say it. I hugged her, and talked her through it. Now this has happened before and I have ended up donating the tuition in her honor, but this time, I knew she was ready to be nudged forward. And then, the angel came. With Australian accent and all, the instructor came over and talked to her. Acknowledged how overwhelmed she must feel, and invited her to a game he was starting.

She didn’t climb anymore that day, but she stayed through the rope games, and left with a fruit roll up in hand (compliments of our Australian angel).

Tough love, maybe? Either way, it was Love. I could have coddled her and avoided the conflict, and honestly confined her to another year of not stepping outside her comfort zone. But, it was time for her to see that moving through her fear is not easy, but man is it the yummy stuff of life!

Every day we all face our fears and we have a choice to quit or be nudged forward. I know she loves climbing- I would not do this for everything. But this, I knew Love was guiding me.

Can we live in a world where we ask ourselves- What would LOVE do?

Hugs,

Asha