Even though most people hate the stair-climber, it's always been one of my favorite machines, but not that evening. When I first climbed on, I felt pretty ambitious and choose a high intensity workout; 10 minutes in, I was dripping sweat and thinking I shouldn't be allowed to make my own life decisions. It was about that time that a mother came up the stairs with her teenage daughter, and a younger, cute daughter who couldn't have been more than 10. While the mother and older daughter hopped on the ellipticals right in front of me, the little girl began bouncing back and forth between an elliptical and one of the stationary bikes. A few more minutes into my self-inflicted torture, my form began to suck. Normally on stair-climbers, I stand up straight and maintain good posture, but due to the intensity, I was bent at my waist, leaning my arms on the rails to take some of the weight off my legs. In a moment of weakness, my inner slacker began to speak up (that clever saboteur), and I found myself thinking, "I could cut my cardio short tonight, after all, I've hit it really hard this week and could probably use an easier day, especially considering I didn't get a lot of sleep last night." Just as I lifted my hand to turn the speed down, I glanced over at the little girl and saw her openly watching me. In that moment, I thought of this picture:
As if a had been slapped, I stood up straight, and thought, "she's why I'm doing this, I'm not quitting." I watched the machine count down with newfound determination. When it finally reached zero, I was completely drenched in sweat and sat down on a mat to stretch my burning legs. Within 60 seconds, that little girl climbed on the machine I had just vacated, causing me to smile and reflect....
I'm not competing in Miss Montana for myself: I'm choosing to compete because I want the opportunity to help others, especially young girls. Not only do I want with all my heart to help those who have also been sexually assaulted, heal, but I want to be a positive influence in the lives of young girls. In a world where impressionable adolescents are constantly shown the likes of Miley Cyrus and Kylie and Kendall Jenner, I want to show them a different style and way to conduct themselves by channeling Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and other classy women who have been examples to me of grace, beauty, and what it means to be a lady.
Last summer, I had the wonderful privilege of teaching Primary, a Sunday school class for children in my church. I got to teach the 6 and 7 year olds, and over the course of the summer, I fell in love with each one of the special spirits entrusted to me for an hour each Sunday. The very first Sunday I taught, one of my little angels said that I, "looked like a princess, and even have a crown." This is what I was wearing:
Because they viewed me as a princess, when I taught them, they always listened intently to what I had to say. How differently things might have been had I dressed in less classy or revealing clothing. The innocent comment that child made had a profound affect on me; for the rest of the summer, whenever I went out, I was extra conscientious about what I wore and how I conducted myself because, in their eyes, I was their princess. Living in a small town, if I ran into them, I wanted to be sure I was dressed and acting in a manner befitting a princess. People rarely realize that someone is always watching, and when that person watching is a child, I believe we have an even greater responsibility to set a positive example for them, to give them something wholesome after which to pattern their thoughts, ideas, and behaviors. Otherwise, how can we wring our hands and wonder what went wrong when they don't turn out well? While the family is central in raising a child, we cannot deny that all of us help shape the people, and especially children, with whom we come in contact. I believe the world needs more examples of people who are refined and have respect for themselves and others, and I would dearly love to become one of those examples to as many people, and especially children, as possible.
"Children are great imitators, so give them something great to imitate."
