The future is created now
Good day, Good day dear readers. Thank you for firing up your computers, devices and dropping by to see what humanity is doing- good and bad. It is nearly Autumn here in Questionnopolis. The leaves are starting to change color and the air is filled with soccer balls and footballs! Ding! Oh, yeah- it's a great time of year. Let me explain for a moment to those outside the USA, football is a different sport than soccer here in the states. Why and how "foot- ball" is named, somewhat of an oxymoron, is unimportant right now.
Weekends are filled with cheering voices, children's laughter...and sometimes crying. There are fields covered in white lines, some with green blades of grass, others mostly made of dirt. The fields are in cities and towns all over the world. It is all good. Good exercise for the body, great energy for the mind. The fields bring us all together. Humanity. The human spirit and sport. A combination as great as coffee and a sunrise. There is competition and a competitive spirit helps to develop enterprising minds while the athletic play creates healthy bones and muscles.
I am a volunteer youth soccer coach. Again. I thoroughly enjoy the experience right now. This is my third foray into youth coaching. My charges are 6 and 7 year olds. Wide eyed, inquisitive and mostly just trying the sport for the first time, with some having played for a few years. They are children. Children need guidance, they need leadership. Children need to be protected and coaching is a privilege. While I consider it a privilege, on most levels for the young age groups it is a volunteer effort. We are lacking volunteers.
I do find that a somewhat shameful statement to have to make aloud...or in writing. There is a responsibility for one generation to develop the the next one, or in my case, the generation after the next. I coach my grandchild's team. We are lacking volunteers- not just coaches, but in many capacities. Field lining and prep, snack sales, coffee brewers, trash pickup, fundraising, uniform ordering, bathroom cleanup, yeah, that too! I see the same people doing it over and over. Me- I just have to walk to a mirror. Oh, and it has been that way for several generations.
The reality is that while I thoroughly enjoy the experience, I had to volunteer or there would not be enough coaches. My original idea was to only volunteer for all the other duties I mentioned. One of my coaching compatriots is coaching 3 teams. Greg has no assistant on one team...and they didn't even have a coach until he took on the responsibility. Why?-because none of the parents stepped up. Shameful. Greg also does all the other things too. It's for the laughter, the joy, sportsmanship now that creates the great memories later.
Every September 10th I cry- it's the day that my best friend, Bo, died 12 years ago. It is compounded on September 11th, which here in the states is a historically awful day. We were attacked by terrorists. Bo didn't get the chance to volunteer, to shape and form his son and daughter, who are now teenagers. There were over 3,000 others that were taken in the terror attacks- they lost the opportunity to hear those joyous weekend sounds for another day. I get a chill through my body on those days. However, I have the opportunity, the privilege to shape, form today's youth- I have what Bo wanted and missed. If you're reading this blog, then you have what all those that lost their lives in the September 11th attacks do not- time. Time to contribute to life. Time to create a better future.
There is a return on your investment of time. I refer to it as the soulful return. I call it the "lightbulb moment," its when one of the kids realizes that they just did what you taught them at practice. You and they see the mythical lightbulb light up. The joy, the smile, laughter. It is good for your soul. Sometimes you get a gem like this from yesterday; "Coach, you're the best, you're best coach I've ever had!" I asked "How long have you been playing?" The response was "2 years," then he says "well last year and this year." Best ever. I loved it. To him it was an eternity. To me it was one of the moments that made me smile and why I volunteer.
Life is busy. All of us are busy. If you make the time to get to the fields or wherever-then you can also make the one or two hours in a month to volunteer to do something. Anything. The Answerman says "The memories that today's youth will have are developed now. The future of the world will be in their hands and their minds. Volunteer, get involved. The future is created right now- be part of the future. "
Weekends are filled with cheering voices, children's laughter...and sometimes crying. There are fields covered in white lines, some with green blades of grass, others mostly made of dirt. The fields are in cities and towns all over the world. It is all good. Good exercise for the body, great energy for the mind. The fields bring us all together. Humanity. The human spirit and sport. A combination as great as coffee and a sunrise. There is competition and a competitive spirit helps to develop enterprising minds while the athletic play creates healthy bones and muscles.
I am a volunteer youth soccer coach. Again. I thoroughly enjoy the experience right now. This is my third foray into youth coaching. My charges are 6 and 7 year olds. Wide eyed, inquisitive and mostly just trying the sport for the first time, with some having played for a few years. They are children. Children need guidance, they need leadership. Children need to be protected and coaching is a privilege. While I consider it a privilege, on most levels for the young age groups it is a volunteer effort. We are lacking volunteers.
I do find that a somewhat shameful statement to have to make aloud...or in writing. There is a responsibility for one generation to develop the the next one, or in my case, the generation after the next. I coach my grandchild's team. We are lacking volunteers- not just coaches, but in many capacities. Field lining and prep, snack sales, coffee brewers, trash pickup, fundraising, uniform ordering, bathroom cleanup, yeah, that too! I see the same people doing it over and over. Me- I just have to walk to a mirror. Oh, and it has been that way for several generations.
The reality is that while I thoroughly enjoy the experience, I had to volunteer or there would not be enough coaches. My original idea was to only volunteer for all the other duties I mentioned. One of my coaching compatriots is coaching 3 teams. Greg has no assistant on one team...and they didn't even have a coach until he took on the responsibility. Why?-because none of the parents stepped up. Shameful. Greg also does all the other things too. It's for the laughter, the joy, sportsmanship now that creates the great memories later.
Every September 10th I cry- it's the day that my best friend, Bo, died 12 years ago. It is compounded on September 11th, which here in the states is a historically awful day. We were attacked by terrorists. Bo didn't get the chance to volunteer, to shape and form his son and daughter, who are now teenagers. There were over 3,000 others that were taken in the terror attacks- they lost the opportunity to hear those joyous weekend sounds for another day. I get a chill through my body on those days. However, I have the opportunity, the privilege to shape, form today's youth- I have what Bo wanted and missed. If you're reading this blog, then you have what all those that lost their lives in the September 11th attacks do not- time. Time to contribute to life. Time to create a better future.
There is a return on your investment of time. I refer to it as the soulful return. I call it the "lightbulb moment," its when one of the kids realizes that they just did what you taught them at practice. You and they see the mythical lightbulb light up. The joy, the smile, laughter. It is good for your soul. Sometimes you get a gem like this from yesterday; "Coach, you're the best, you're best coach I've ever had!" I asked "How long have you been playing?" The response was "2 years," then he says "well last year and this year." Best ever. I loved it. To him it was an eternity. To me it was one of the moments that made me smile and why I volunteer.
Life is busy. All of us are busy. If you make the time to get to the fields or wherever-then you can also make the one or two hours in a month to volunteer to do something. Anything. The Answerman says "The memories that today's youth will have are developed now. The future of the world will be in their hands and their minds. Volunteer, get involved. The future is created right now- be part of the future. "
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