Last night, Olympian Ricky Berens made an appearance at my girls’ swim team practice.
He gave a little pep talk and let the kids pass his gold medal around
and then they got in the pool and he put ’em through their paces.
They did freestyle drills, mostly.
They talked about breathing.
And kicking.
The basics.
It served as a reminder that that’s how we all get from here to there.
Breathing, kicking, the basics.
Whether we’re swimming or running, writing or painting, or just flat out making it through each day…
On Quitting
BY EDGAR ALBERT GUEST
How much grit do you think you’ve got?
Can you quit a thing that you like a lot?
You may talk of pluck; it’s an easy word,
And where’er you go it is often heard;
But can you tell to a jot or guess
Just how much courage you now possess?
(Read the rest here…)
I like the rhythm of this poem, especially. Thank you for sharing! Do you sit in the bleachers on swim practice nights? I used to swim when I was a kid; I would think the sound of all those swimmers’ arms and legs slapping against the water would be kind of peaceful to listen to at times.
This poem is a keeper. I’m feeling okay on the grit scene right now, but there may come a time when I need Mr. Guest to push me like the Olympian must have pushed your girls in their workout.
tanita says
Somehow Edgar Guest poetry reminds me of junior high — our teacher loved to read a lot of stuff with a certain rhyme so we’d know it was POETRY. In case we didn’t get that. Lots of Kipling and Guest.
But I like this one. And I like it better because my 7th grade teacher isn’t reading it to me.
My great aunt used to collect typed poems in a little notebook…many of them were by Edgar Guest. Somehow he simply reminds us of those basics. Thank you for reminding me on this Poetry Sunday. What a wonderful experience for your daughter’s team!