GOAT

 

   I read an article on the internet recently that mentioned gymnast Simone Biles. It was about how she was not afraid of being proud of her accomplishments, the latest being a move on the vault that has not been tried by a woman before. Her leotard had a small silver goat goat on the back. This stands for 'greatest of all time'.

   I wish I could find this article to reread. After I read it I remember thinking two things. The first was amazement at the fact that she doesn't seem to be afraid of being the best in her sport and probably the best gymnast ever. Despite the fact that scoring of moves such as the one she did in her latest competition devalues them, she still plans to do them. Why? "Because I can," she said. The other thought was that it takes a lot of nerve to own the 'greatest of all time'.

   That article did make ponder a few things. One of them was the whole issue of being proud of something you've accomplished, especially if you happen to be female. I'm from the Midwest and raised Lutheran. Pride is considered a Sin. A very large and ugly sin. In the list of seven deadly sins, pride is usually mentioned first. It is considered the gateway for all other sins to enter. There are countless sermons on the sin of pride.

   When you are raised with this, it's very hard to admit that you are good at something. To say so is being prideful isn't it? In fact, even acting confident could lead others to think that you are prideful. To see a woman own the GOAT title, even in a small way, is inspiring. It inspires me to be honest about the things I'm good at without being afraid of being thought of as prideful. 

   I'm a good knitter. I'm good at doing laundry and dishes. I'm not good at organizing things, but good at putting things back where they belong. I'm a good staff pharmacist. I'm a good cat human according to Scamp. I'm a good listener most of the time. I'm a good writer.

   I'll never be the GOAT at any of these things and that's ok. Good is good enough for me.