I Think I Can, I Think I Can

By Leigh Thomas

When my son was about three, one of his favorite books was The Little Engine That Could. I must have read this book to him every night for about six months, curled up in the rocking chair in his room. What I remember most about it, other than it’s not exactly short, is the little engine’s chants of “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can” as it chugged up the mountain to deliver toys to the children in the village.

It struck me the other day that children think in these terms, of what they can do and not what they can’t, until we show them otherwise. I had a laugh-out-loud moment last week when I was telling my son the news about then-Head Coach Steve Spurrier’s sudden retirement, which had broken the night before. So we were talking about how the Gamecocks would be looking for a new head coach, and it went something like this:

Him: Mom! DADDY SHOULD TOTALLY DO IT.
Me: Uhhh, well, that would be fun, but I think they look for more experience in a head coach, sweetie.
Him: Mom (as if clearly I’m an idiot). Daddy helped coach my Little League team.
Me: Oh, well, then that changes everything.

This example is a little extreme and I don’t think B’s setting up shop in Williams-Brice any time soon, but it’s refreshing that my son thinks his dad can do anything.

Let’s follow this example for a change. I, for one, am too quick to assume my own limitations. Conversely, like most parents I would guess, I think my kids can do anything they set their minds to. But ultimately they learn from watching us and how we see ourselves, and I don’t want to be the one to destroy that sense of anything is possible.

My son loves to run, and one of my greatest joys is racing with him. When he runs he thinks he can fly, and he never ceases to amaze me when, even when I think there’s nothing left in his tank, he charges toward a finish line. After years of thinking I wasn’t cut out for longer distances, in a few weeks I will finally graduate to a longer race. I realized recently that everything I believed before was just an imaginary hurdle.

This weekend B takes on his first Mud Run and, in a few weeks, his first Spartan Race. A year ago these weren’t even on his radar, but there’s no doubt today that he’ll crush ’em.

Literalleigh turned one recently. When I started this venture, I thought, I can’t sustain the content, can’t add one more thing to my week. It’s not easy, but the challenge is worth the reward.

We all have limitations, of course, but too often we just get in our own way. Every day I try to teach my kids what I believe to be valuable lessons, but this is one they taught me. I think I can, I think I can.

Leigh Thomas is a Columbia-area wife, mom of two, runner and communications professional. Because that affords her so much spare time, she also pursues freelance writing and editing. Visit her blog, Literalleigh, at literalleigh.blogspot.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/literalleigh.

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