My daughter and I set out early—as we often do—on our trip across town to drop her off at a neighboring high school for her SAT. Of course, she’s already seventeen and can drive herself, but the thought of navigating a new school and finding parking was enough to make her request a ride instead. I was happy to spend a quiet morning with her, uninterrupted by the usual hustle and bustle of our daily lives.
We stopped at Starbucks on the way, a habit we’ve managed to avoid as a family until my daughter started working there and now enjoys the employee discount. It’s hard to resist the few dollars off, even if it costs far more than it would to make at home.
We sat in front of the school, sipping our drinks and watching the early arrivals make their way toward the front door. Although my daughter was unfamiliar with the place, I certainly was not. This neighboring school happened to be my alma mater. As she soothed her own nerves, my mind drifted back to graduation day, years before. In 1991, we wore tuxedos and formal dresses under the traditional caps and gowns—an event I had dreaded in anticipation but found strangely elegant once it arrived.
Now, 33 years later, my daughter and I watched the students lining up at the front door, all dressed in their Sunday best—sport coats, ties, dresses, and high heels. We speculated that, on this quiet Saturday morning, another event was taking place at the school, perhaps a debate competition.
But as my daughter made her way through registration, she texted me the surprising news: those well-dressed students were there to take the SATs. They had dressed up for the occasion.
This revelation delighted me. None of these kids probably wanted to get up at six a.m. on a Saturday to sit for a college entrance exam. None of them looked forward to the stress of worrying about their performance, or even to stepping back into school on the weekend.
Yet there they were, dressed to the nines, walking into the future with pride and dignity. They weren’t trudging in, bleary-eyed in worn-out sweats and messy hair, but were instead stepping into this difficult season as their best selves.
And shouldn’t we do the same? We often find ourselves bogged down by the weight of adult stress—fear, anxiety, the muck of aging. We may be battling illness, broken relationships, or financial hardships. We may worry about an election or the future of our community and country.
And all of this is scary.
Yet, in many ways, we have little control over what befalls us. Disease happens. Divorce happens. Bankruptcy happens. Life’s challenges often arrive uninvited.
But we do have a say in how we show up. We may not be able to control the chaos of life, but we can decide which sportcoat goes with which tie. We can choose which pants need pressing and which shoes should be polished.
We can step into the future—not as fully confident adults who have it all together, but as young kids dressing up for the SATs.
We can show up… as our best selves.
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