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Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday. My name is Darrell Darnell, we downloaded Tetris for our Xbox over the weekend and had a lot of fun playing it, and I believe if you are learning, you aren’t living. In today’s episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday I share lessons I learned from a water slide.
Today’s Fun Fact of the Day: Here are some tetris facts for you.
- Tetris got its name from the portmanteau of the Greek word “tetra” meaning “four” (because of the four-celled tetrominos) and “tennis” (which was the creator’s favorite sport.)
- According to Guinness World Records, Tetris is the most ported game in history, appearing on 65 different platforms.
- When a person spends a lot of time doing a pattern-based activity, they start unconsciously thinking and dreaming about the activity. This phenomenon has been dubbed the “Tetris Effect.”
- A Plymouth University study found that playing Tetris can help you lose weight, cut back on drinking, or quit smoking.
What I leaned yesterday.
Every kid loves spending time in the swimming pool, or at a water park, and my kids are no exception. During the summer they go to my in-laws house at least once a week and enjoy swimming in their pool. In our local town there are a few places to enjoy a good swim including a water park named Pelican Bay and the YMCA just down the street from our house.
The YMCA is great. They not only have a full size olympic swimming pool, but they have a recreational pool as well. The recreational pool has 4 or 5 swimming lanes that are half the length of an olympic pool, a lazy river, a wading pool, a sitting pool, and a splash pad. Oh, and it also has a really big water slide. The water slide starts on the inside of the building, swirls around to the outside of the building, and the brings you back inside where it deposits you into a small pool of water.
Since the YMCA is closer to our house, we normally choose to go there instead of Pelican Bay. Our kids like both places, and they really love the two big water slides that Pelican Bay offers. Kari and I like the fact that the pool at the YMCA is indoors and we can also spend time on the running track while we’re there. Even though both of our kids have had a great time on the water slides at Pelican Bay, our daughter, Addison, found the slide at the YMCA to be a challenge.
We first visited the YMCA earlier this summer. Kari spent most of her time on the track, while the kids and I enjoyed the pool. As soon as they opened up the slide, Colby headed to the top and took the plunge. I was right behind him. We both enjoyed several trips down the slide.
We tried our best to convince Addison that it was fun, but she was not having any of it. We swam a bit more and had fun the lazy river and sitting pool. We raced each other down the swimming lanes. After a while Colby and I decided to get on the slide again. Once again we tried to talk Addison into coming with us, and once again she refused. No matter what I said to her, she refused to go down the slide.
After we got home we tried to convince her that she’d missed out on a lot of fun by not going down the slide. She eventually cracked just a bit, but still indicated that she was not going to go down the slide.
Last week we went to the YMCA again. As we talked about what activities we would do there, I once again tried to get her to work up enough courage to go down the slide. I just knew that if she’d go down the slide one time, that would be enough to erase her fear and enjoy the slide over and over again.
We put our belongings into a locker and headed over to the pool. I tried to encourage her to join us on the slide, but I had no luck. Fortunately for her, the slide was closed. Instead, we splashed around in the swimming lanes and had a brief race. After a few minutes, the slide opened up. Colby and I immediately headed for the top of the slide, but then he paused and said something to his sister.
I’m not sure what he said, but whatever it was, it worked. She followed us to the top of the stairs. A moment later she was sitting in the pool of water at the top of the slide waiting for the lifeguard to give her the word to go. She grabbed ahold of the bars on the side, gripped them tight, and when the lifeguard said, “go” she was off! A moment later she emerged at the bottom of the slide, wiping water from her eyes, wearing a huge smile and erupting with laughter.
As quickly as she she could she headed right back toward the staircase to take another turn on the slide. For the next 30 minutes straight we all 3 took turns going down the slide, emerging at the bottom, climbing the stairs, and sliding down again. It was great.
Here’s what I learned.
Fear is natural. Most of the time it protects us. However, sometimes it holds us back from something amazing. I know fear. When I quit my job of 19 years to start my own company, I think I felt a little bit like Addison did.
Think of it this way. In order to get to the slide, a journey would be required. On her way to the staircase, she had to be careful not to slip on the tile floor. Once she got to the stairs, she had to navigate them one step at a time, being careful not to slip, skip a step, or stumble. Once she navigated the stairs she found myself at the mouth of the slide. This was the moment of truth.
Standing at the top of the slide was an accomplishment of sorts, but it’s sort of a limbo position. It’s a spot between where she once was and where she wanted to be. And in that limbo spot, she had two choices: go back down the stairs, or stare into the dark tunnel of the slide, approach the launching pad, and take the plunge.
That’s certainly how I felt as I walked toward my boss’ office with my resignation letter in hand. As I spoke with him and worked the conversation toward the moment when I’d hand him the letter, I knew that I could still back out. I could compliment him on his tie and go back to my office.
No. Way. I knew what I had to do. I had to take the plunge.
So what was it like?
Just like a water slide, of course! I started off with some momentum, but it was still a little slow. It was dark, unfamiliar, and uncharted in my brain. Then, without warning, I hit a curve. It sloshed me around and threw water in my face…but it gave me momentum. I liked that! Then another curve came, and more momentum came with it!
As far as I’m concerned, I’m still heading down the water slide, completely unaware of when the next curve will come. I definitely haven’t reached bottom yet. Of course, it’s not a perfect metaphor, so hopefully I never will hit bottom.
Here’s what I know.
Whether you’re a 37 year husband and father of 2 that’s risking a career to start a new business, a 12 year old girl intimidated by a big water slide, or something in between, what is your obstacle? What is it that fear is keeping you from doing? What is it you’ve been wanting to, dreaming of saying, yearning to explore, or desiring to let go of?
I have 3 words for you: Take the plunge. You’ll never know what’s on the other side of your fear if you let fear conquer you. You can do it! Take the plunge!
I’m Darrell Darnell and this has been stuff I learned yesterday.
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