This isn’t the basketball goal that’s at our house, but this week it might as well be.
I am a big believer in positive attitudes and feel like complaining is one of the most powerful enemies of joy and success. As a result, there are very few things that I allow myself to complain and whine about. However, cold, snow and ice all make the list. Maybe I have my childhood in SW Florida to blame, but I have no time for winter and wintry weather. What a pain.
That’s why I was so encouraged by the attitude of one of my sons earlier this week. He loves playing basketball on our concrete pad in the backyard, and he was determined to get out and play. Never mind that it was 20 degrees outside. Never mind that the court was about 60% covered with crusty snow and ice. He came to me and asked if he could shovel the court so he could practice. I said sure, good luck, I don’t think you’ll be able to do much with it, but you can certainly try.
He went out, tried two different shovels, and spent about 15 minutes trying every which way to scrape the ice off the court. Unfortunately it was no use, and he came in discouraged. (And probably feeling about winter the way I do.)
But there’s a greater point to this. As I thought about what we want our kids to learn from playing sports, I realized how this young man demonstrated a willingness to put forth uncommon effort. He was willing to endure the discomfort of shoveling and playing out in freezing conditions. He was resourceful enough to make multiple attempts to accomplish a goal (albeit unsuccessfully). And maybe most significantly, he was flat out bummed that at the end of it all, he wasn’t going to be able to play. The kid mostly just wanted to play.
For the athletes we coach, isn’t that where it should begin, by helping them become (or remain) kids who love to play? I’m pretty sure my son has no plans for a career in pro basketball, but if his desire to play that game on a cold February afternoon can inspire him to go to such lengths, I know there are plenty of other areas in life where those same lessons will carry over. Great job son. I love you and am proud of you.