I flew to Annapolis to visit my mom for the weekend and it was the exact dose of rejuvenating family time that I needed. Most of the weekend was spent having one-on-one long talks with her, one of which was during our traditional post-dinner walks. When I was younger, we used to have these nightly. We share the quirk of feeling most comfortable and ourselves when moving and active, so these walks always invited the open and deep conversations that were otherwise rare. Resurfacing that tradition this weekend reminded me of my mom’s eccentric walking habits. Number 1, she walks like a madwoman being chased by wolves (I know where my compulsory endorphin addiction comes from) and number 2, when walking cul-de-sacs and corners, she unfailingly walks right up to every edge exclaiming, “Don’t skip the nooks and crannies!” When I was younger, this was an annoyance that yielded an eye-roll and reluctant running to catch up after I tried to turn around too soon. Now, I realize what an important metaphor for life it was and still is.
It’s easy to short yourself here and there, to metaphorically cut corners. At the time, it seems like it has a minuscule impact but over time, the repeated inch-long shorts accumulate to miles lost.
I like to think my stubborn young mind unconsciously internalized this lesson and applied it to my life and career. I hold myself to a certain standard, and this applies to the big things as well as the minute details, nooks and crannies as mama Harrison calls them. No one is watching my mom walk making sure she hits the corners, she does it for herself. She probably did it one day and from then on that was her standard. Be your own competitor. Have high standards and requirements for yourself, reach them, and only allow yourself to go up from there. One short becomes two becomes many, and just like that your standards are lowered and you lose against yourself.