OLD MAN SHAKES FIST AT CLOUDS – winning and losing
Starting when my kids were at that age, I used to go to the park and watch them play in organized sports. Basketball, baseball, volleyball, whatever season it was. One of the best reasons to put your child in organized sports is that it shows them how to lose. You end a game, you’re a few runs short, a few points down, they hit the buzzer and it’s all over. You can’t do anymore. It’s a loss. It sinks in. There’s a wave of disappointment and almost grief. Then, shortly after that, hey, dad’s taking us to 7/11 for Slurpees. Playing sports is a good way to come to terms with loss. A spotless record is almost impossible, and you find a way to deal with it. Maybe you work harder the next game. Maybe you tell yourself it’s no big deal. Maybe you just say the hell with it and quit. You have to remember that a major league baseball player can hit .300 – if he’s any good – and that’s not even one out of three times at bat.
I’ve seen adults who were never in any kind of organized sports, and it isn’t pretty. They aren’t familiar with loss, and it overwhelms them. They throw helmets across the field, talk shit to whoever’s in front of them, and make fools out of themselves. They beat themselves up out of not being inherently great at a sport. Or even worse, they sink to castigating the refs. If they’re on the sidelines and they are watching their children play, they will definitely scream at the refs. It’s always frightening to see an adult care more about a game than the kids playing it.
Lots of parents who have gone to their children’s’ games will have amusing anecdotes about some lunatic who had to be threatened with police action before they shut up.
In all things try to find a little grace. At my age, I think grace is as important as the outcome of the game. If you win, this is easier to accomplish. Losing gracefully is underappreciated. I don’t mean not to try your heart out. But when you lose, just accept it. Take whatever you can from the experience and move on.
-OLD MAN SHAKES FIST AT CLOUDS
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