I had been worried about a white water rafting trip since the day I received my Kenan Fellows acceptance letter. My family and co-workers encouraged me and told me it would be fun! My heart believed them, but my head was a nervous wreck. I’m not a risk taker, I’m not a swimmer, but I signed the paper and put it out of my head. This week the day arrived for this “risky” adventure. I got up early and put music on in my room to try to relax. The song Don’t Worry, Be Happy, by Bob Marley came on. I really listened to the words.
Don’t Worry Be Happy
Here’s a little song I wrote
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You might want to sing it note for note
Don’t worry, be happy
In every life we have some trouble
But when you worry, you make it double
Don’t worry, be happy
Don’t worry, be happy nowOoh-ooh-hoo-hoo-ooh hoo-hoo-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh…‘Cause when you’re worried, your face will frown
And that will bring everybody down
So don’t worry, be happy
Don’t worry, be happy nowAs a mom didn’t I always tell my daughters not to let opportunities pass them by?As a teacher (Ms Frizzle) says “take chances, make mistakes and get messy” So here was my opportunity to take my own advice. Well, It was fantastic! I feel so proud of myself for taking the risk and doing something unlike anything I had ever done before. This will be a huge life lesson I will take back to school with me from my week at NCCAT. Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to overcome my fears and try something new.Oh, and thanks to UL (Underwriters Laboratories) for giving me a tour of the PFD (personal flotation device) labs, I had a great deal of confidence putting on the life jacket with that familiar circle with the (UL) on it.