A Lifetime of Dancing in the Driveway
Every hoopers dream is to be invited to the dance
The summer sun was fully set, the streetlights had kicked on, but the dribbling didn’t stop. The neighborhood boys had thrown in the towel, even their dad had called it a night, but out in the shadows of the garage, on the sloped driveway shooting on the hoop with a slightly bent rim, the Jones boys kept putting up shots.
“Mom, sometimes we just go out there and pretend like it’s the last 5 seconds of a March Madness game. Everything is on the line and we’re the guys to take the shot. Can you imagine?”
Yes, I can. What wonderful memories. Whether it was on the driveways of San Diego or the frozen tundra of Buffalo (yes, literally they would go scrape the driveway off in the dead of winter), both of our boys have always had HUGE hoops dreams.
So, sitting in Memphis during the first round of March Madness all these years later, with Evan by my side, we sat and smiled in complete gratitude. How lucky are we?
Participating in sports is a gift. It teaches us so many things. How to win. How to lose. How to be a great teammate. It helps build grit, resilience and gratitude. It’s a wonderful metaphor for life.
Parker said to us yesterday after Colgate lost in the first round to Baylor, “Man, that was SO much fun! And those dudes are huge! The one 7-footer came at me when I was shooting a three —it scared me!” (And he’s 6’6”)🤣
Proud of him for dreaming big. And taking big swings… when we do that it may not always go our way, but we learn. We grow. We get to scare ourselves and face our fears. And discover what’s important to us. And that’s what this journey is all about. 🫶
No, he didn't get to be a part of the Cinderella team (this year) and no he didn’t get to take game winning shot. But as I told him the night before he played.
“Play for your 8-year-old self. Can you imagine how in AWE he would be of you?”
Enjoy this moment. Today is a gift.
Need a visualization exercise? This is one of my favorites! I love working with kids and parents to find their best selves.
Need help with your clarifying how to get what you want? (Next level performance, starting spot or making the top team?)
I am running a LIVE workshop on Monday 4/8 @ 6pm PST to help with just that! Can’t make it LIVE? No problem! The recording will be available for 7 days.
Upcoming Events in 2024:
Visualization Workshop via ZOOM, 4/8/24 **Exclusive signups for subscribers**
Partnership for Awareness (PFA), 4/3/24, San Marino, CA
#RaisingAthletes 100th Episode, 4/8/24
Multnomah Athletic Club (MAC), 4/18/24, Portland, OR
KPAX Sports Awards, 5/15/24, Missoula, MT
Living Spaces Women4Women Event, 6/5/24, via ZOOM
Glenbard Parent Series, 8/1/24, Chicago, IL via ZOOM
Nazareth Academy, 10/15/24, La Grange Park, IL via ZOOM
Let’s do this!
Xxx Kir
P.S. You’re amazing. We should talk!