Out of the mud...

"Picking yourself up by the bootstraps."

Has anyone ever told you that making it out of the mud is how to really hustle? You know that old saying, “Pick yourself up by the bootstraps.” I always imagined it meant being stuck somewhere, and in order to make it out you have to pull yourself out of it. For instance, pulling yourself out of the mud.

I, for one loved to play outside as a kid. Catch me playing hide and seek, TAG, flag football, kickball, dodgeball you name it. What you wouldn’t catch me doing is playing in the mud. Nope, no thank you. Even though getting down and dirty is the name of the game in the many activities I named. Playing in the mud was just never my ministry. Until this one time I was in a summer camp, and my cluster was playing kickball against the older kids from across the hall. They talked so much trash about beating us because we were younger than them, and how they were all faster than us. So, we shouldn’t even bank on getting them out. Long story short, it was a rainy morning that day, so the field was a mess. They didn’t care, and neither did we. Well, I did. I didn’t want to get my new shoes messed up with mud stains. And have my mother fuss at me? I was good. Because I was one of the few girls in the class who actually liked playing the games (you know that tomboy life), I was never one to back down from a challenge. “Older kids talking trash, and saying girls weren’t good at kickball? Ok. Let me tighten up these K-Swiss” was my thought. It was a tough game, but we made it out on top! Mud and all. It was so muddy though y’all, my shoe got stuck in a mud hole while I was running the bases! A homegirl from the sidelines helped me out, and I pushed through. Teamwork, bow! We kicked their butts that afternoon, and they had no trash left to talk for the rest of the summer.

I bring up that story because it, like other situations showed tenacity by my cluster. It was all good fun, but we weren’t afraid to get dirty in the eyes of a challenge. I wasn’t feeling the mud stains on my baby blue and white classics, but I pushed through. Even if it meant I had some explaining to do for the brown marks on my white kicks. I had no business wearing fairly new shoes to summer camp. They weren’t boots, but making moves to make a point and win the game was the focus. I often find myself doing that whenever faced with a challenge. Especially in my industry of work. As a performer, it can be quite challenging during the process to stay persistent. Whether it’s the auditions, the holds from casting, or even getting the job and having to prove why it’s yours. A true muddy and mirky way of life.

Mud can be a tough environment to be stuck in. It’s messy, and in most cases very uncomfortable. Especially if you’re a texture person like me. Touch is one of the most profound senses we have and one that lends you to know when to move forward with something. I know pulling yourself out of the mud can look like a lot of different scenarios, but don’t give up. Pulling yourself out of something may be difficult, but find your cluster. Find your people who can be there to help you win!

Be blessed, and keep on keeping on. Strap up those classics, and make it through!

Peace and Love,

Lyd