Vision Realized

Time came to a screeching halt as I slid down the wall and sat on my bathroom floor.  “Well, this really complicates things.”  That positive sign was screaming at me.  What was I going to do?  A hopeless and completely desperate feeling started creeping in.  This couldn’t have come at a worse time.  Doing some quick math in my head, this little one would arrive right in the middle of my toughest semester of clinicals for nursing school. 
 
I knew when I walked through that bathroom door, I would have to be stronger than I had ever been.  But that wasn’t saying much!  I wasn’t strong or brave or even a little bit fierce.  I was raised to do what I was told, to not question or step out of line. I grew up believing that I wasn’t smart enough, fast enough, talkative enough, and just overall good enough for my family.  “Why can’t you be more like your brother?” was a question I received weekly.  I wasn’t raised to do anything but stay close to home.  I was told I wasn’t smart enough to even apply to any other college than the one in my hometown and I believed it.  Why would my parents say that if it wasn’t true?
 
I got up, walked through that door, and had the first of many conversations knowing that I would get pushback for my decision.  But I knew what was right for me and I knew I would hold fast to that. I had to be strong.
 
I also knew that this little one needed to be brought up completely differently than I was.  They needed to be brought up knowing that they can do anything or go anywhere they put their mind to.  They would be brought up learning to be confident in who they are. 
 
And that’s just what I did.
 
That little one who changed my life, well, she is currently studying in Valladolid, Spain for the semester.  She is over 4000 miles away experiencing a totally new culture.  Her younger sister is in her second year of nursing school at one of the biggest colleges in the US, living in an apartment and completely killing it at school and big city living.  These girls are FIERCE, and they know that their parents have their backs, no matter what the circumstances.  These girls have been brought up to change the world for the better.  And I feel blessed to be along for the ride.
 
 

Yes, We Can!

 
When I was a little girl, my family lived in Northern Wisconsin. We lived in the country (nearly everyone lived in the “country” there) and I had a long bus ride to and from school each day. I loved it! It was an opportunity to sit and talk with my friends.
 
One day, a friend and I were having the important discussion of what we wanted to be when we Grew Up. Our dads both worked for the State’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR), so it was no surprise when he declared, “when I grow up, I want to be a game warden.” My eyes lit up, and I said, “Me too!”
 
He looked at me—I don’t think I’ll ever forget this—and said, “girls can’t be game wardens.”
 
Was this my first brush with the patriarchy? I thought, “wow, is this guy misinformed!” And I replied, without hesitation, “yes we can!”
 
I was empowered to respond that way because my parents had raised me to believe that I could do anything—be anything—that I wanted to be. Their unconditional support followed me through elementary school, middle school, undergrad, and on to getting my MBA. Though my career aspirations changed, that belief that I could follow any dream, any ambition, persisted, thanks to them.
 

Choose

 
From a young age, it was common for me to find myself in leadership positions. I had many interactions with adults and peers, but just one that was unforgettable.
 
Senior year, I was a captain of the track team at Green Bay Southwest. At the beginning of the season, we practiced indoors, and I was infected with a classic case of senioritis. Indoor practice was dumb, high school was dumb, caring was dumb. I was smart.
 
Imagine my surprise when Coach Fax took me aside and gave me a choice. “West-lead or quit.”
 
No one had ever talked to me so plainly, so responsibly. This wasn’t an ultimatum. Coach shed a bright light on my attitude and actions – and on the fact that I was already choosing. And now she was giving me one, finite opportunity to make a different choice.
 
Coach Fax wasn’t interested in my feelings, my excuses, my concerns, or my justifications. We were not negotiating. We both had responsibilities and she was holding me to mine. She was empowering me as no one else ever had.
 
I respected her so much. I knew she cared for me and because she did, wouldn’t rob me of my responsibility to choose.
 
I chose to lead.
 
Her challenge has rung true and pure again and again throughout my life. It is always revealing and uncomfortable. It is always empowering.
 

Baller – and How “The Irish” Roll

This story is different than the others we told and a fitting grand finale. It represents the best in us – a dream pursued and realized, thanks to a courageous dreamer and a supportive, open-minded system of teammates, cheerleaders, coaches, parents, and administrators. It is a wonderful realization of our Rotary vision: Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves.
 
 
 
 
 
Heather Dyer, Owner-Morgan Data Systems, our district administrative partner, shared her story highlights and sent the picture. The bits of the story that I have, appear in the graphic above. The picture paints a thousand words. The year was 1982.
 
If you know Heather, you’ll know she’s raising two strong, intelligent, competitive, and beautiful daughters. She runs a business with very high employee retention. What Heather received; she’s giving. She is changing our world in a lasting way. I hope her story changes us – as dreamers, doers, and allies.
 
With Respect and Admiration,
District Governor Karen