Ah, yes...it's football season and while I love college football...GO BIG ORANGE...LET'S GO BLUE (my Michigan upbringing, remember), the football games that have me tied up and tangled are Y2's Thursday night Middle School games. It takes a lot of parent volunteer hours to keep the machine running. Mr. Snark films the games. Any of you who know him personally, know that he is a very vocal fan. If the coaches call a lousy play, he'll tell them. If the refs make an unfair ruling or miss an obvious infraction, he'll tell them. So, needless to say, he really has to hold himself back when he's running the camera. I'm heading up the 8th grade pregame meal team. Are you shocked? I've nicknamed our little merry band "The Hashslingers". I wish we had t-shirts....that would be fun! Or I think it would be...I keep forgetting that my idea of fun isn't always fun for folks outside of those living inside my head!
We're all set up for yesterday's meal service when a couple of the 7th grade moms make it a point to share that they were the last one's out of the cafeteria last week...having been on their hands and knees cleaning food off the floor....from under the 8th grade tables. When I asked them why they were cleaning the food off the floor, they looked at me like I had grown two heads. "Well, there was food on the floor and we're moms...that's what we do...you know what I mean?" Actually, no...I don't and that's what I told them. I also questioned the timing of said floor cleaning....as I was the last one out, having to return one of the kitchen carts. At that point, the 8th grade team was set up for pregame study hall. The 7th grade team would have been in the field house getting ready for 5pm kickoff. It was shortly after 4 when I left. I didn't see them....they weren't there. They were puzzled by my questions...nearly incredulous that I would doubt the veracity of their tale. They stood looking at me as if I was the one to provide the solution to the problem and when I did, they couldn't back peddle fast enough.
We lost our game and our #74 didn't see any field time. Last year, it was heartbreaking...this year, it's all about the experience. We lost every regular season game last year and #74 got no more than twenty minutes of play time for the entire year. It's not always glory and glamour...those moments are few and far between. Life is hard, unfair, off balanced, nonsensical, illogical and down right mean. But you have to keep going and you have to encourage those around you to keep going. You have to do the best that you can do and then try to do better. Yes, there are the moments of "it's all about me" but as quick as you say that, the moment is gone and it's someone else's turn. Do you quit because it doesn't work like you want it? Do you fail to honor your commitment because you can't have your way? Do you assume that you have all the answers...without the experience to back it up...and presume to know better than those who have the battle scars? If you do, then you're wasting my time...keep to stepping, honey. I have nothing for you because what you have done is perpetuate a sense of entitlement that has ripped this nation apart and added to the work load of those who are dug down in the trenches FOR THE DURATION...rain or shine...grunts or glory.
In case you haven't guessed, there's more going on under those Thursday night lights than just football.
We're all set up for yesterday's meal service when a couple of the 7th grade moms make it a point to share that they were the last one's out of the cafeteria last week...having been on their hands and knees cleaning food off the floor....from under the 8th grade tables. When I asked them why they were cleaning the food off the floor, they looked at me like I had grown two heads. "Well, there was food on the floor and we're moms...that's what we do...you know what I mean?" Actually, no...I don't and that's what I told them. I also questioned the timing of said floor cleaning....as I was the last one out, having to return one of the kitchen carts. At that point, the 8th grade team was set up for pregame study hall. The 7th grade team would have been in the field house getting ready for 5pm kickoff. It was shortly after 4 when I left. I didn't see them....they weren't there. They were puzzled by my questions...nearly incredulous that I would doubt the veracity of their tale. They stood looking at me as if I was the one to provide the solution to the problem and when I did, they couldn't back peddle fast enough.
"Ladies...it's fairly simple. You need to speak to Head Coach...explain the situation. He will encourage them to clean up after themselves and if they can't, perhaps a dozen or so wind sprints will help them remember that we are not the maids."The looks of shock that came back at me and the rebuttals and hem-hawing and waffling. What....what's wrong with that? The group consensus is that they would issue a warning this week and then tell the coach next week. And that will keep you off the floor this week, how???? So I went to each 8th grade table and gave them the skinny....if the moms clean up the floor behind you, you'll be running sprints tomorrow. Trust me...NO ONE likes running sprints...in full pads...in the blue flames of Hades that is also known as late Summer in WayDownSouth. Probably got the cart before the horse because I talked with Head Coach after I'd spoken with the players, but I knew that he'd be on board. And he was and before he left the cafeteria, he asked if we had any mess to deal with and to the disbelief of some, no...we didn't. Why? Because expectations were set, consequences were CLEARLY defined and expectations were met. Parenting 101 people....it's not rocket surgery!
We lost our game and our #74 didn't see any field time. Last year, it was heartbreaking...this year, it's all about the experience. We lost every regular season game last year and #74 got no more than twenty minutes of play time for the entire year. It's not always glory and glamour...those moments are few and far between. Life is hard, unfair, off balanced, nonsensical, illogical and down right mean. But you have to keep going and you have to encourage those around you to keep going. You have to do the best that you can do and then try to do better. Yes, there are the moments of "it's all about me" but as quick as you say that, the moment is gone and it's someone else's turn. Do you quit because it doesn't work like you want it? Do you fail to honor your commitment because you can't have your way? Do you assume that you have all the answers...without the experience to back it up...and presume to know better than those who have the battle scars? If you do, then you're wasting my time...keep to stepping, honey. I have nothing for you because what you have done is perpetuate a sense of entitlement that has ripped this nation apart and added to the work load of those who are dug down in the trenches FOR THE DURATION...rain or shine...grunts or glory.
In case you haven't guessed, there's more going on under those Thursday night lights than just football.
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