Cole is learning about "onward"

(For posterity: this is the first time he's the scoring leader. Okay, it's just one game, but hey, he's very happy!)

Anyone who knows me, knows that I live by two simple principles: own it and onward. Through my life I have learned that I am in the vast minority. Though, I take comfort in the knowledge that being in the majority has nothing to do with being right. Today, I am taking a break to dwell in the positive, a nice break from crushing heartbreak heaped upon my son, to marvel at how resilient my forever-expecting-too-much-hard-on-himself son has been in the last 24-hours.
He's decided that he will take "that motley crew of hockey misfits and turn them into a proud team" and he's "going to prove that teams should be picked for the players not for the parents". Well, good luck with both, buddy. As always, I'll support you all the way.
In an effort to shore up his devastated ego he is putting his words and emotion into action. In the process of a day he has become a completely new and improved, confident, driven and happy boy.

Last night, at his first 3on3 game of the season, at 10:15PM (!!), he scored a division leading 5 goals.

Today, at his second lacrosse game of the season, he scored two goals and had a couple of assists. Not bad for a boy who received his first lacrosse stick earlier this spring.

Pure validation. Cole knows that sport does not define him. It is only a small aspect of his life. But after being crushed by people he respected, sport people, he is using sport to rebuild his ego. There is always room for improvement but the life lessons Cole has experienced since Thursday have been character building and life altering. I am so incredibly proud of him.

There are many lessons to be learned through sport. You can learn good lessons and bad lessons, but most important, you can take bad lessons and learn good things.

Onward.

A quick note ...

of acknowledgement and passing:

Frozen Ropes Oakville officially closed it's doors tonight at 9PM.

We hosted our last team workout tonight.

It was a good effort. We tried. We tried hard.

I am very sad. Heartbroken, really.

So much and so little rolled into one excruciating experience.

Onward.

I ground it out

This is my first entry from my brand new baby: Mr. iMac.
He's beautiful and so easy on the eyes.

It is my nature to grind it out. To ignore what is staring me in the face and move forward. A big joke among my friends are two of my phrases: "own it" and "onward". Pretty indicative of my personality :)

So, yesterday I was whining, yes, whining, that I had hit a creative wall. One I did not see coming but landed right in front of me. I was disgusted with my reaction but slowly became upset with myself for my lack of action. I had cleared away the day so I could "be creative". Maybe that was part of the problem? You can't really force creativity, after all, if you're creative, then you are creative. You really can't run away from it, nor can you schedule it. But, it is all hard work, just the same!

Perhaps it was the words of the brilliant Christine Kane in her 7 Tried-and-True Ways to Stifle Creativity article written late last month which was resonating within me. In her article, she states, and I agree, that you can really shut yourself down and you are the only one who can fix it.

Onward.

I flaked

As most of you get, if nothing, else I am two things:

1. busy
2. control freak

which is not always a good combination. Add those two character traits with my inability to say "no" and what Louis calls, my status of "serial volunteer", I tend to get myself a bit overwhelmed. I always grind through it. I do not complain. I am far more about just getting it done and say no next time! You guessed it, I don't say no.

Yesterday morning, I sat down and made a few lists. Yes, I'm a list person. It started as a free-flowing list of all the things I'm committed to and those things I'd like to do. I believe that you have to do those things you commit to before you do those things you like to do. You can only reap reward once the work is done, right?

As a result, I have a pretty focused inventory of what has to get done: short term, long term; work, fun; kids, house. Donna, this is a good thing! I recognized exactly what has to go: four things. No, not my kids, though that would dramatically reduce my commitment list!

Of those four things, I am most sad that I am flaking on the elementary school yearbook. I was so looking forward to this project. My parent partner, Craig, is a real go-getter and I know the yearbook is in very capable hands, but I feel terrible letting him and the school down.

Lately, I have stretched myself so thin that I feel I am not giving enough to anything, so I am not feeling anything but stress and lack of achievement. I feel like I'm paralyzed in place and providing mediocre effort on everything. I do not like mediocracy! I, long ago, let go of the idea of perfect; but, I have never let go of the idea of excellence.

I'm tired of feeling that way, so some stuff had to go.

I flaked.

I feel like crap right now, but I think I'll feel better as time goes on.

Onward.