Still Nervous

He is standing next to me shivering. It is a blustery Thursday afternoon in the Pacific Northwest, gray skies, harsh winds and rain minutes away. I am wishing that my hoodie had another layer or two of goose down. 

I ask Junior, sporting the singlet of his High School, how he feels. 

‘OK, but a little nervous about the run.’ He will be running the 100 today as well as pole vaulting. 

‘You know that is a good thing, right?’ He shoots me the classic look that unmistakably suggests a failed attempt at humor. 

‘It means that there is something important about to take place, and your body, in response to your mind’s strategic planning and preparation, is asking for an assist from your department of energy reserves. That is the tingling in your gut as the request is being processed.You adrenal glands are releasing small amounts of endorphins and adrenaline so that you are aware of the pending fight or flight. Your body is so smart that the amounts introduced into your system are regulated and controlled so as not to send you into panic mode, they act like a primer, getting the motor safely warm and ready. When the time is right another dose is released, this time for the main event. It is a beautiful thing.’ 

He is looking at me with a combination of wonder and astonishment. 

‘The secret is to recognize the additional sensory awareness and power available to you in these moments and use them to your advantage. Simply noticing the change and enjoying your heightened awareness is enough, but one can, through practice, turn what is mislabeled as nervousness into something very much like pushing the turbo charger button.’ 

His eyes are now the size of marbles. 

‘That is one of the reasons we enjoy sports so much, and adventure sports especially, because they hold the potential for the experience of this magical situation. The trick is to recognize the moment, accept the challenge, enjoy the moment and enter the dynamic flow state suddenly available to you. In other words, enjoy the ride.’

‘Dig?’

‘Kinda, but I’m still nervous.’