[Image credit: Grant Cochrane]

I remember when I was a little girl and I’d wake up in the middle of the night with “leg aches.”  My mom told me they were growing pains and would sit on the edge of my bed, kneading the kinks out until finally I fell asleep.  As an adult, I am still plagued with growing pains, but not the achey-leg variety (unless I recently trained at the gym).  And unfortunately, my mom isn’t able to rub out these particular pains.  They’re the kind which result from being stretched and pulled in different directions when I make a mistake.  Although it’s a part of life, the truth hurts sometimes.  But I also think it toughens us up so we can handle the really big stuff when it comes along.  Because it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.  So while I don’t enjoy the pain (I didn’t enjoy my leg aches, either), I believe it’s necessary to endure if I want to grow and become stronger in the process.

How do you deal with growing pains?