Being Zen About Lacrosse

When N started playing lacrosse, I vowed to take a more Zen approach about it, i.e., keep my big mouth shut. In hockey I got a little passionate at times about giving N advice, not so much regarding skills and strategy, but more so about attitude and work ethic, i.e., I think he has the skills and abilities, it all boils down to confidence and mental discipline. For all it’s worth, I think it’s helped him, and in certain areas his game has really come along.

Now I know all about playing for fun and the fact that winning isn’t everything, but I also know that, as a kid growing up playing team sports, the better you are, the more fun it is. It also gives you a certain level of carte blanche amongst your teammates and friends. I am fully aware of the flaw in this way of thinking, but it’s just the reality of boys playing team sports. The goal is never to get N to be something he is not, and the key is to have fun and enjoy it.

Either way, I’m getting better at lightening up with hockey, partly because I think N’s growing as a player. When he decided to play lacrosse, I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to take a big step back and just watch. So far, so good. It helps that I’ve never played the game so I know nothing about it. At least with hockey, I watched plenty of it to understand how it’s played. Lacrosse is an alien game to me.

What’s nice about lacrosse is that his buddies from hockey all play, so he’s getting to know them better, and is connecting with the guys. I can see where a lot of the thought processes of the game can translate to hockey, and it’s nice to be outside in the beautiful weather. Plus, it’s fun to watch, especially when I just sit back and enjoy the ride.

We’ll see how long this lasts. Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to elainebrown82 for the pic.