N-E-R-V-E-R-A-C-K-I-N-G
Performing under pressure in front of a crowd is nothing new to my 12-year old daughter. In fact, just three days ago, her dance troop was the opening act at a packed arena before an NBA game. This afternoon, the crowd was in the hundreds, not thousands, but the pressure felt like no other. It was her school spelling bee, attended by the entire student body. She was one of a dozen participants looking to win the title and represent her school in the district championships. In the past, work has precluded me from being able to attend such events. But as they say, unemployment has its benefits. Like many of us, I’ve enjoyed the National Spelling Bee, watching kids sweat it out and in some cases pass out, from the competition. But I’ve never had anything invested in it. Until now. I can guarantee that being a parent during a spelling bee is 1,000 times worse than being a participant. While I was sweating out EVERY letter, my daughter was calmly cruising through her words. I wa...