Showing Up
The Quiet Strength That Shapes Who We Become
Of all the lessons I learned growing up, the one that made the biggest impression was the commitment to show up every day.
On the farm, taking care of cattle and hogs never stopped. Dad had to do the chores, whether it was 100 degrees or a windchill of -40, whether he was sick, sore, or exhausted.
And once in a while, we all had to pitch in. One summer, the cattle got out just as our family was leaving for vacation. We had to stop and help get them back in before we could go. No whining, no complaints. We just buckled down and got it done.
Wrestling With Pride
Courage is about being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.
John Wayne
Showing up isn’t always about pushing through pain or bad weather.
One cold February day when I was in 5th grade, I told Mom I didn’t feel well enough for school. I rarely missed, so she didn’t question me.
My younger brothers boarded the bus, and Mom tucked me in on the couch before leaving for her bookkeeping job at the lumberyard.
But I wasn’t sick.
I had recently lost a wrestling match to a kid at school who nobody liked - someone who was loud and brash, someone who would cheat with a dirty move whenever he could. Someone who was the opposite of me. I felt like I should never have lost to him, that I was above him.
Practice was that afternoon, and I didn’t want to risk the shame of losing to him again.
So I stayed home, curled up on the couch watching a Big East–Big Ten basketball doubleheader on ESPN, safe from any embarrassment.
Beyond Words
But Dad wasn’t buying it.
The kitchen door opened and I heard him yell, “Hey, I need some help in the barn. Why don’t you get your clothes on and come out.”
I couldn’t believe it - but I didn’t dare question him.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I put on my work clothes, ashamed that Dad knew I was ducking something.
We spent the next couple of hours power washing the pig stalls. After that, I showered, got dressed, and he quietly drove me to school.
We never talked about it. No lecture. No pep talk. Just a clear, unspoken expectation.
I don’t remember missing another day of school or practice after that.
The Daily Choice
In the last 30 years, I can count the number of workdays I’ve missed on one hand. Sure, I have been fortunate to have good health, but a lot of it comes down to just showing up - even when you don’t feel like it.
Lou Gehrig played in an incredible 2,130 consecutive games for the Yankees. Not because he never got sick or hurt.
Author Ryan Holiday once noted that X-rays of Gehrig’s hands revealed at least seventeen healed fractures - injuries he had played through during his legendary streak.
And showing up isn’t just physical.
It’s taking the tough call with an upset customer when you or your team made a mistake.
It’s stepping in during a crisis at work - or showing up for friends and family when life falls apart.
Bigger Than Baseball
Last week, my son Eric woke up with a slight fever and sore throat on opening day of baseball season. When I got home from work, he was on the couch, unsure if he should play.
I asked him if he wanted to go to the game. He nodded.
Then I said, “Do you think Lou Gehrig only got sick in the offseason? What about Cal Ripken?” I told him it wouldn’t be easy, but that sometimes you have to do hard things. You have to show up.
Eric jumped off the couch, ran upstairs, and suited up. I could tell he felt better just by taking a positive action.
During warmups, I saw him smile and laugh with his teammates, excited to wear their new uniforms and cleats after months of offseason practice. But I could tell he wasn’t quite himself.
Late in the game, his coach brought Eric in to pitch. The other team rallied and pulled ahead 3–1. Eric could have wilted, but he stayed composed on the mound. He ended the inning by fielding a tough dribbler down the line for the out.
After the game, I told him I was proud - prouder of him for showing up and losing than if he had stayed home on the couch.
That day was bigger than baseball.
Image credit: Alamy
Sharing Midwestern values through the stories of a hard-working single dad, all for the glory of God.