"winning isn't everything, but the will to win is everything." - vince lombardi
we lost. there, i said it. we lost. it's over. the season is over and we lost. nobody wanted to win that game today more than i did. but we lost. and that's it.
so how do i feel some six hours after the wettest championship match in the history of high school softball? pretty good, i'm surprised to admit. because somewhere between the ballpark and my underground parking lot, i guess i learned how to take things in stride. not an easy task, i might add... at least not for me.
maybe it has something to do with the fact that as we drove along bloor street following the game, i spotted a visibly-disturbed man pushing a shopping cart, presumably filled with all of his worldly possessions. context. context and perspective.
in the grand scheme of things, losing a high school softball match isn't really cause for much concern. i still have my health. and my family. and my silver medal which i presented to my seven-year-old daughter this evening. she didn't seem to mind the colour of the medal. "silver looks shinier than gold anyway," she noted in a noble attempt to cheer me up.
last year when we lost the championship match, i had to hold back the tears so that the girls wouldn't see me cry. but this year, i viewed the contest through an entirely different prism.
listen up, kids: it's a game. we lost a game. the effort was there, but it was also there from our opponents. one of us was going to win and one of us was going to lose. today it was our turn to lose.
am i disappointed? damn right, i'm disappointed. but not as disappointed as i would be if i felt like this was the end of the road. we'll be back next year. and the year after. and the year after. and eventually it will be our turn. and when that day comes, i will be happy for our side. but for now, i am content in the knowledge that spring training is only ten months away.
"strength does not come from winning. your struggles develop your strengths. when you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength." - arnold schwarzenegger
epilogue
3) defeat often brings reflection
2) what i did isn't considered cheating within the rules of baseball
1) you don't really think that one measly loss is going to have any impact on my ego, do you?
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i don't want to be mean or anything but I just wanted to add that...
ReplyDelete1) that's what you get for riding on that egotistical high horse for as long as you did
2) that's what you get for "cheating"
and 3) I'm sorry that you did but at least you realized that there are it is of little importance in the grand scheme of things.
RANDOM, HOWEVER..
ReplyDeleteI WANT TO BE A LAWYER BECAUSE OF THIS GAME.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ace_Attorney
I was going to show you this in class today (or yesterday), but I didn't since you'd probably take away my DS.
Just wanted to share that with you.
Congratulations on the silver, although I should give more credit to the players than the coach. Players without a coach is still a team, but a coach without players is pretty lonely.
ReplyDeleteI often wondered why the shiny mirror-like metal is less valued than the dirty yellow metal that looks like solid piss.
It'sokay Patpat* : ) there there sir,
ReplyDelete"defeat often brings reflection" I have to say that really got to me, it reminds me a bit of the saying "you learn from your mistakes"
Random, but gold accessories cost way more than silver but I personally think gold necklaces & such are ugly--not as pretty as silver.
&& now i have to catch up on your posts.
LOL AT THE ACE ATTORNEY COMMENT
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