The long week-end is officially over and half the grains of sand in summer’s hour glass have passed. The week-end started with a bang and ended with a whimper.
Lauryn and Delaney, her beach volleyball partner competed in their first beach provincial championships on Saturday. It was a rocky start… Lauryn had slept very poorly on Friday because she was sick and couldn’t stop coughing AND the weather in Toronto was rough, with wind and rain. Thankfully, the girls were only referees for the first match in their pool and one of the other parents, who was actually prepared for the rain, let Lauryn borrow her rain coat. (Thank you, Tereza!!)
I was certainly feeling sorry for Lauryn… on a day that she wanted to feel her best, she certainly wasn’t! That being said, my advice was a combination of empathy and tough love… in short form, be gentle with yourself but try as hard as you can! Watching their first pool match, I thought, “well… their day could be finished quickly”. However, they rallied in their next matches and earned their way to the gold medal match. The girls met the team they had lost to at the beginning of the day and finished with a silver medal in their division. What a wonderful reward for perseverance!
It’s fascinating how differently we can perceive things. I was so proud of the girls and went to hug Lauryn in congratulations, especially knowing how she had risen above how she was feeling. She was in tears, apologizing for missing her last serve. The growth in their play as a team, across the season, is truly remarkable. In the moment, however, she was only focused on her mistake. Why do we do that to ourselves? She appreciates in hindsight that it’s unfair to do. Wouldn’t it be great if this lesson could stay with her!!??
When we got home, I realized that I was feeling a little off… by the time Sunday morning came around, I was into a full-blown cough and cold – only feeling capable of managing the bare necessities! Thankfully, the girls exercised some initiative and were quite happy with their downtime.
Although I’m not going to dance any jigs today, I’m focusing on the positives!!!
Here’s to a fantastic second half of summer!!!