This past weekend I spent three days volunteering for my idols. The American Kennel Club has an international dog agility team that competes at the Agility World Championships.
My biggest goal and dream is to one day be a part of that team. Almost every facet of my life is shaped by that goal. When one of my best friends was named a part of that team, I knew that meant I would have the opportunity to volunteer at one of the team practices close to home. I had been looking forward to this weekend for so long, and I couldn't wait to be a part of the experience and to see how the team worked. I had the opportunity to meet and talk with the best of the best in my sport, as well as meet the coach for the team. These people are who I aspire to be. They have done what I dream of.
They are my idols.
I was so excited for this weekend, but was also pretty nervous. I wanted to make sure everyone liked me, and that I made a good first impression. It was pretty nerve wracking. But the first thing I realized when I got there was that these people, my idols, were just regular people. I know everyone always says not to be nervous around celebrities because "They're just like us!" but that is almost impossible. Meeting these people would be like a gymnast meeting Simone Biles, or a swimmer meeting Michael Phelps. I couldn't believe that I could be that lucky.
The biggest thing I realized throughout this experience was that these people were totally normal. They had other interests and hobbies outside of dog agility. They were funny, talkative and normal. They were interested in my life and my other hobbies. They were just regular people. I had built both this team and this dream up so big in my head that it almost didn't seem real anymore. It didn't seem like it was for the "normal people" of the world. But after this weekend I realized that it is. That these people have reached their goals and dreams, and have done the things I dream of, but they are still regular people. They have found balance in their lives and are able to do all the things they want. I realized this weekend that my idols really are just regular people who have the same drive that I do. They are people who have made their dreams come true.
After spending the weekend with my idols, I learned that celebrities may really be just like us.
