The Pitch
I love to hunt and fish more than most. It’s an urge I can hardly
resist, and I pursue it with reckless abandon. But not all of my most
enjoyable moments happen on the river or in the mountains.
Recently, I coached my daughter’s first soccer game. My dad, who
coached my first game nearly thirty years ago, was watching from the
sideline. It was a proud moment. The game brought me a sense of
satisfaction, nostalgia and excitement that I’m not quite equipped to
put into words. It was as a mix of emotions that I most often
associate with time afield. Stumbling upon them on a preschool soccer
pitch caught me unawares.
Mulling this over after the final whistle I realized that meaningful experiences shared with family and friends are the common denominator. I took it as a healthy reminder that the things I seek, far and wide, on the water and in the hills can often be found around the kitchen table or on the soccer field.
Beautiful. Been there coaching my kids… loved that experience.
From the child’s perspective, having a parent care enough to coach their is very stabilizing and comforting and worth all the time and effort. Not only with your own kids. I still have former youth soccer and Dixie Youth baseball players come up to me more than 30 years later recall a distant memory of a play or game they particularly remember for some reason. A few years ago when sitting on the bench in a criminal case, one of my baseball players was a police officer witness. He asked the bailiff to see me afterward… turns out he just wanted to shake my hand and thank me for being his coach (in 1981).
Wow, great perspective, thanks for sharing Ralph.