Last week I was talking to the man who just began taking care of my yard. He is also a coach for an adolescent girls basketball team, a group that had recently made it to out-of-town playoffs. After a particularly tough loss, he told the girls how great they had played and how proud he was.
Unconsoled, they asked what they were going to do next. He said “We’re going to get back on the court and practice as hard as we can.” When they replied “Really?” he said,
“Yes, but that can wait. First, we’re going out for ice cream!” When a few parents asked how they were going to celebrate winning if he was treating them with ice cream after a loss, he said, ” we’ll just have even more ice cream…”
It seemed clear after only a few minutes with this wise man that he was coaching these girls for life long fulfillment, not just for winning basketball games.
Celebrating playing the game, hanging in there, doing the best you can, (and not just your peak successes) makes the game of life so much sweeter!
With love,
Mary Lou
