In the early 1980s, the radio was filled with two songs about pressure. Billy Joel told us we had to answer to our own, not to look for help, because in the end, we are all alone with it. Freddie Mercury, in his unmistakable voice, warned us that life was terrifying because just when you think you’ve got it figured out, it never rains, but it pours.
Today’s quote lands on the same track, but it shifts the tone. Billie Jean King, one of the greatest champions in sports, didn’t view pressure as something to fear or avoid. She saw it as a privilege, a sign that you are in the arena where the stakes matter.
My gramma said it another way fifty years ago:
“God puts hard tasks in our lives because He knows we are strong enough to handle them.”
That’s the truth of it.
Pressure is not punishment... it is proof. Proof that we are trusted with moments that count. Pressure makes us sharper, tougher, more alive. It builds passion, strengthens compassion, and reveals to the world, and to ourselves, that we are exactly where we belong.
Think about it.
A brain surgeon removing cancer from a child. A fireman carrying an elderly woman out of her burning home. A trial lawyer fighting for the rights of a client. A police officer walking into an ambush. A commodity broker filling an order for a farmer in Dekalb. Each one of these people is living in the storm of pressure and each one proves, day after day, that pressure is what drives us to thrive.
On a lighter note, today is National Cinnamon Bun Day. Speaking of my gramma, she made the best breakfast rolls I have ever tasted, but she took them to heaven with her. So until I get up there to join her, RoughEdges in Elmhurst is my go-to spot for a bun that comes close.
Alright, Chalkheads, it’s Saturday. Step into the arena. Embrace the privilege. And yes... don’t forget that we are still in a GoldBond application period. Powder those nooks and crannies, keep those hip-hop thighs sliding friction-free, and give this day an astonishing chance.
Buns Up Chalkheads!
