“Confident and with purpose”

The top of Double O Arch, Arches National Park

I was striding up a wash with my boss just behind me this morning, somewhere between points D3 and D4 in our first Breeding Bird Census. Tricia announced, “I have a name for today’s blog post.” This, of course, made me extremely curious and I begged to know what it should be. “Confident and with purpose,” came the reply. A smile crossed my face on this seventh day of work. I was walking like someone who had a sense of what she was about, which was a significant change from last week’s fear and trembling about losing my way and being humiliated at having to be ‘found’ by my law enforcement colleagues.

Maybe it was the two-in-one-day “You’ve got to believe in yourself” admonitions I got. Maybe it was my increasing comfort with maps, GPS, and landmarks. Maybe it was just time for me to set aside my doubts and decide that I can do this. Regardless, today was a confidence-builder.