During my school years I was pretty good at sports, even for a girl, but I could never run very fast so that made me pathetic as far as track and field was concerned.
I remember one day when I was 12 years old and in grade 7 my school, “Miller Park Elementary” decided to hold a track and field day and have the entire school participate.
The entire school was divided into 3 teams, with members spread through all the grades. These teams were named after the Native Tribes that lived in that area of British Columbia, Canada: the Bella Coola, Nootka, and the Salish. I was on the Nootka team. My best friend, Sacha, was in the Salish team (if I remember correctly).
There would be awards given out depending on how you scored in the various events. Bronze, Silver and Gold badges would be given to individuals and one team out of the three would be ultimately victorious for the entire school.
Now, by the time I was in grade 7 I had participated in several of these types of days and never won ‘diddly-squat’. But it didn’t matter this day: the sun was out, we didn’t have to be in class for an entire Spring day and I could spend my time having fun with my best friend. I knew that we would probably excel in the event “laughing our guts out” the most.
The day progressed and we were put through our paces and forced to run various obstacle courses. Sacha and I laughed our way through the entire day as our teachers scowled at us for not taking all this more seriously. We stopped for lunch about 12:30 pm, the scores of everyone were tallied, after the break the awards would be presented and then we would be allowed to go home early. It truly was a blessed day.
As far as the three teams were concerned, I believe the Bella Coolas won school wide, although I don’t think they won anything more tangible than bragging rights.
Then it was time to give out the individual awards. Sacha and I knew it would take some time because they were going to give out Bronze, Silver and Gold awards to three girls and three boys in each grade. Since Sacha and I were not very athletic and had basically goofed around all day, we settled in and made ourselves comfortable as we whispered comments about each person as they went up to pick up their “major award”.
They started with the grade ones, so we knew would be there for quite some time. I loved to see the looks on the small childrens’ faces when they won, but it was quickly over shadowed by the hurt looks of the many more children who won nothing. They were too small to understand that this was not an actual measure of their worth.
As the teachers worked their way up the grades handing out awards , it was easy for Sacha and me to pick out who the winners would be. The same people who won every other time we had such events. The talented few who never saw a rain cloud or a pimple.
The grade 7’s were the oldest, so our class would receive the awards last. But as soon as the awards were over we would be set free to go home and that’s what I couldn’t wait for.
They did the grade 7 boys first. Gold winner, silver winner and then the bronze. Then last, but not least, the grade 7 girls. Gold winner, silver winner and the final award of the day, the bronze winner. Well, I bet you’ll never guess who won the very last award. The bronze award for grade 7 girls. ME!
Out of 40 or so girls my age, I had come in third, when I thought my performance that day wouldn’t even merit a participation button.
It took a couple seconds for it to dawn on me that I had won. It was Sacha pushing on my shoulder that got me up and moving. I took my bronze badge and took my place beside the 5 other grade 7 winners: the three boys and two other girls.
I stared down at that beautiful, bronze award that seem to shine and even glow in the sunlight. I thought it a rare surprise at the end of a wonderful day. I also considered that I might not be as physically pathetic as I thought I might be. Then I looked up to see my best friend who had leaped to her feet and was shouting and cheering herself hoarse in support of my great win. I think she was prouder and happier for me than I was for myself. Sacha was a great person. She taught me all about the loyalty of friendship (which is a rare prize indeed these days).
But what I found most surprizing was the conversations of the other winning students standing next to me. They were complaining. The “silver” winners were upset that it wasn’t a “gold” and the “gold” winners were upset because it was a cheap looking badge and they already had tons like it at home.
Then I looked into the faces of the many kids who hadn’t won. They sat polite but quiet and restrained. I could see the envy and longing in their expressions. What would they have given to be standing in any one of our places?
So often we don’t appreciate what is right in our hands because we are busy looking at what we don’t have and/or what others possess. Plus we are struggling to attain something that won’t really make us happy. And when we get to the place we have struggled for such a long time, we may discover that it’s much duller place than we had anticipated.
Just this past year I had to go through an old trunk and discovered my old bronze badge from that day. It basically is just a cheap piece of material that probably cost less than a dollar, but it wasn’t the actual award I won that day. The day and moment it was originally handed to me I was completely happy and satisfied. I had been given a gift I didn’t expect and discovered I had a friend that loved me more than I knew (and maybe more than she knew herself). I also learned to live in the moment and take each “award” with grace and gratitude because it might occur only once and most surely will be fleeting. I still try and wring every drop of joy out of each moment. I’ve also learned (through the years) that just participating can be more fun than winning if you do it with the right attitude and you’re willing to laugh at yourself too. But ultimately I’ve discovered that one man’s bronze is another man’s gold.
While you watch the Olympics from London this summer perhaps you can ask yourself why you run your race and who you are running for.
“ … let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning it’s shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3)
~~ from the NIV Bible
NOTE: This blog entry is dedicated to my childhood friend Sacha Barrie. God loves you Sacha and so do I.
