3 minute read
Rural Route 2
Taking the Stage
Editor’s Note by Bethany Baratta bbaratta@iasoybeans.com
It’s a pretty awesome experience when you see the look of pure confidence on a child’s face. Such was the case when our son, Luca, then 5 years old, took the stage to appear in a talent show at the local daycare in front of 85 friends and adoring guests.
I won’t forget the look on his face seeing me in the crowd. I entered the daycare the moment his feet touched the multicolored rug, now positioned under a balloon arch and serving as a stage. Had one more red stoplight appeared on my 9.1 mile commute, I might have missed the entire thing. But there I was, in the back, leaning against the doorway (it was standing room only at this point). His eyes, wide. His smile, bright. His arms straight down and to his side. I didn’t know this little boy had this much courage, and I was a proud mom.
Of course, leading up to the talent show wasn’t all confidence. His stomach was in knots; he wanted to remove himself from the show. But here he was, poised and ready. And then the familiar intro music dropped. And there he was, belting out every word to Cole Swindell’s “She Had Me At Heads Carolina,” the tune serving as a cue in the background. But he didn’t need the accompaniment. It was a song we’d play routinely on the way to daycare, and he’d heard it in his dad’s truck as we cruised through town en route to soccer games and errands.
It got even better as his performance continued and his daycare friends joined in singing the chorus line, belting out “heads Carolina, tails California” at the top of their young lungs. When the show was over, and he was eating his post-show sugar cookie with the brightest blue frosting I’d ever seen, I asked him how he got the courage to get on the stage.
“I just took a deep breath, and said, ‘you can do this!’” he said.
And my heart grew again.
As we prepared this month’s issue of the Iowa Soybean Review, I had you all in mind. Soon, you’ll be taking to the fields to see how this year’s crop really fared. Undoubtedly, some of you had your stomach in knots after flooding, hail and other challenges this spring and summer. But here you are. Your stage is waiting; I hope you take to it wide-eyed and encouraged that you made it through the season(s) of challenges. And if you’re so inclined, belt out “heads Carolina, tails California” at the top of your lungs.
