First of all, thank you for making last week’s blog one of the highest-read ever! We were overwhelmed by the number of views, comments, and texts.

As writers, we always wonder what the takeaway is when a shared story strikes a chord.  This week, I spent some time reflecting on why this particular blog garnered so much attention.  G and Johnny run ultras regularly and she shares about them often without much fanfare.  Andy and I are stumbling into this process with rose-colored glasses unsure of an exact training plan or even our specific goal.  

Then, it hit me.  Andy and I are box jumpers.

We are mere mortals training to do something out of the norm, while G and Johnny are “regulars” in the ultra field.  Nothing is ever as interesting as people trying to do something that they have never done or have no business doing (again, in my case).   In other words, G running 80 miles, while BEYOND IMPRESSIVE isn’t as exciting to read about because it’s what she does.  Running is one of her boxes and she excels in this box.

Box jumping is like watching a reality show.  We know it’s terrible, but yet it’s so intriguing to watch and see if someone is going to epically fail and fall on their face or if they are going to surprise us. I am the first to admit that it makes me curious when I see someone box jump in the form of transforming their body, starting a new business, or doing something seemingly outside their comfort zone. I want to know all the things.  I want to know the how, the why, the when, and the what about their story from start to finish.  I also want to see if they can maintain this new box.

We all put ourselves into boxes and assume we can’t do certain things or at the very least these other boxes are so foreign, we don’t know where to begin when it comes to making a change. When we see someone step out of their self-prescribed box and attempt something different, it makes us wonder…could we do the same.

Box jumping isn’t always a big, outward movement, though.  Sometimes it’s just a shift in attitude that ends up creating major life changes.  Sometimes we decide in a moment of internal angst that we want something different for ourselves or maybe we simply just want to give something new a try.

A couple of years ago, I shared a little bit about our youngest daughter’s introduction to college. After one semester, in the fall of 2020, she was ready to quit.  Covid had destroyed any semblance of a typical college experience and she was over all of it.  The story I shared back then was about a perspective shift and how she had decided that she was going to look at school as a means to an end and she was going to stick it out. She wasn’t necessarily happy, but she was determined. 

What we didn’t know at the time was that this shift in perspective was going to change the trajectory of her next few years.

Once the decision was made to stay, she joined a workout group, got a part-time job at a bridal salon, and made a few friends along the way.  Life was better for the next year, but still hovering somewhere below average. 

In the middle of her sophomore year, she came to us and said she wanted to study abroad.  She felt she needed something completely out of her comfort zone to make a change.  While we were immediately supportive, we were also apprehensive.  How was she going to be successful at a university in another country when she struggled to try new things at her university close to home? It felt risky and somewhat like a Hail Mary.

At this point, she had already met with her business advisor as well as the study-abroad coordinator several times and had chosen to study at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.  She had her eyes set on a box in the UK and there was no dissuading her. Ready or not, she was going to box jump across the pond.

Our biggest fear was that she would hate it and the only thing that would have changed was the amount of money we had in the bank.  

Our biggest hope was that it would be a life-changing experience that would leave her feeling confident and ready to take on the world.

Over the next eight months, she continued to go to school, work, and prepare for living abroad. 

She was nervous, excited, and hopeful.

The month leading up to her departure was nerve-wracking for all of us.  The 12 hours before her leaving, I never want to repeat.

The first 24 hours of being gone were overwhelming and in her first phone call home, she said she had bitten off more than she could chew and wanted to come home. She was jet-lagged, homesick, and the airlines had lost her luggage.  It wasn’t a great start.

But then…she fell in love with Scotland and the people.  She took risks, she made friends, she studied business and art, she embraced the culture, the freedom and she began to thrive.

Now, it wasn’t all tea and biscuits.  There were curveballs, crazy flatmates, sickness, and travel debacles, but there were also amazing adventures, new perspectives, and daily walks in the botanical garden.

Her confidence grew while her fear of life lessened.  She began to take chances and believe in herself again.  She learned to focus on the positive and let the other stuff roll off of her back. She learned to love life again.

When I tell you this girl came home a changed person, I mean she had done a 180-degree turn.

She was still the kind, loving, gentle spirit who left four months prior, but she had done something she wasn’t sure she could do and it gave her a new sense of confidence that wasn’t there before.

It’s been just over a year since Reese’s return and she is now in her final semester of college.  I am happy to report that she continues to thrive and take chances. She has maintained that sense of adventure and is excited for graduation. She still works 3-4 days per week at the bridal salon, has a great roommate, and an amazing friend group, and even started dating someone last June. She has maintained her footing in this new box and I have a feeling we could see more box jumping in her future.

All of these things were hard-fought and they didn’t come overnight.  It’s taken 3 years of continually choosing to step outside her comfort zone to get to this point.  If you ask her, though, she will tell you she would choose it all over again.

As for Andy and I and our attempt to jump into this ultra box, you should probably keep watching because I think it promises to be a lot more like bad reality TV than you even realize.