Sunday Morning Message - “Fancy Nancy”
Good Morning. I hope this finds you smiling. J
I have two calendars: “Stones” & “Lake Tahoe” for 2010 that are available to view & purchase @: http://www.redbubble.com/people/tomjdeters
“Fancy Nancy”
I have been teaching my Kick Box Cardio class for 12 years. I love it. I would have never imagined that I would have still be teaching. Besides my love for it, I LOVE the people. It’s the ones who have been giving consistent effort for years and for the ones who just walked in and have no idea what may lie ahead. It’s because of the opportunity that they give me to inspire them and share in their lives.
For the past 5 or 6 years this little short, spunky, Asian woman with long black hair, bangs and the cutest little smile, has been consistently coming to my class. She’s always smiling. I have watched her grow stronger over the years and we have become friends, & now you know why I love her the way I do. She has referred to me as “Sensei” which is Japanese for instructor; a cute, very endearing nickname for me and I have called her “Fancy Nancy” forever. All I know is that when I yell it at her in class, she smiles. It has been an honor motivating her.
A while back Nancy emailed me with a sense of fear that she had never shared with me before. A man that worked where she lived had “crossed the line” being physically and verbally aggressive, which to a 5’-2” (if that) tiny woman can be very intimidating. She mentioned in the email that she was scared and that he had keys to the complex.
As I read I became very protective of her and felt mad that this guy had made her feel fear. I continue to read and she stated that even though she was afraid to call anyone in fear of that man coming after her with the “keys” he had, she notified the authorities. I emailed her asking if she was okay and if she wanted me to stop over. She got back to me and told me she was fine and then told me the whole story. This had gone on for a while and I was just hearing the end. The complex fired the guy. The police were notified and the complex had put in new locks.
I felt relieved that it had all worked out and that Nancy said she was fine, even though I wished I had known earlier! But Nancy was better than just fine. She had a true sense of empowerment about her. Yes, she was scared, but 5 years ago she may not have told anyone, frozen in her fear, but not this time. She deemed herself worthy of the effort and deemed herself the one in charge. This guy and her fear were not going to control her. Her faith in herself was just glowing from the inside and she seemed “a little” taller ;)
I finally saw her in class. She had missed two weeks in a row. I asked if everything was still cool and she had this “smile”…
She tells me that one of the men that were putting in the new locks was very nice to her. He had shared a little of his story and she had shared hers. He told her that he “liked how she made him feel” and thanked her for listening. The next time back he asked her if she would have dinner.
She said yes and why she had missed my class. I excused her for missing and gave her a huge hug - I was proud and happy!
I told her that she had made it through her test: and THAT made her stronger. That made her ready for the next; level, moment, challenge, the next step in her path. I added that the next time she stumbles or is tested, because she will, to think back on this experience and the positive effect it ended up having on her.
Thanks for allowing me to share and Congrats Nancy!
May you all be blessed with perspective and faith…
- tjd
