A First Lesson Learned

I took my son to the doctors office today for his four month physical. It went as expected. The nurse measured his length, weighed him and the rest of the standard protocol which included three vaccine shots. Oblivious to the upcoming piercings he was about to receive, my son was really enjoying the trip to the cold room with florescent lighting that contained a bed with paper sheets and animal wall paper. But when that moment came, the nurse re-entered with a steel tray loaded with syringes and a not so sympathetic smile. After my wife decided to stay in the room for the event, we both held down the infant while he bellowed as the unfamiliar needle forcefully penetrated the skin on his thigh and then again as the plunger pushed down releasing then medicine into his body.
The yelling didn’t stop and the only words of advised I could offer to my son was “Its okay to cry, you don’t have to like it but we need to do this.” The injections were completed in a blink of an eye however the howling lasted for what seemed like an entire hibernation. Nothing would stifle his cries; we changed him, tried to feed him and even sang as we cradled him. Eventually, the cries stopped. He was able to put himself to sleep and as I fastened him in his car seat the four month old was the perfect picture of peaceful slumber.
Less than a half a year old and my son learned one of the most important lessons in life, one which many of us often forget as adults. Every day and around every corner there will be challenges waiting for us. Some we are anticipating and others seem to blind side us but regardless of the variety it is a necessity to meet these trials head on in order to move forward. Most of these challenges will test our wills and our wits and almost all will be easier to avoid completely and as we all know, no rain no rainbow.
How many cold needles have we faced in our lives? How many this week? How many excuses have we come up with? We actually find the true objective is not attacking the situation rather discovering the cleverest way to dodge it. The simplest technique is to merely tackle it. This is what my son did and he received the greatest of rewards, it was over. He didn’t have to fear the shots anymore. Instead he enjoyed a deep, peaceful and sound sleep.
We all come across these challenges, burdens, ordeals or whatever you want to call them. For the most part we exercise the same cowardly approach. But whether it’s trying to breakup with your significant other, having “the talk” with your teenage kid, walking away from a job you know that is holding you back from your true potential or simply receiving a flu shot, its not going to go away until it gets done.
I looked upon my child today and saw the most courageous little man I know. He didn’t take pleasure with the injections and he wasn’t shy about letting everyone within earshot know, but he did it. No regrets and I’m proud of him.