Friendship

My daughter is involved in a soccer "World Cup" tourney at school (2nd grade P.E.). She came home the other day very excited.

"Mommy, Mommy, Yabi and Ava had trouble in friendship today."

"Yabi and Ava are best friends. Best friends! And they had trouble in friendship today because of soccer."

"Yabi's team played Ava's team today and Ava, forgetting that Yabi was on the other team, said some really mean things. They stood up to each other, in each other's faces and said mean things to each other. Because of the game! They didn't even play together at recess. They had real trouble in friendship today."

Think about it! How hard it is to lose. How hard it is to win. How we "forget" ourselves all the time. How we say things that cause so much suffering to ourselves and those closest to us. How we are costantly "having trouble in friendship" because we want satisfaction in the moment.

As a female athlete it was, and remains, difficult to be the most competitive person on the field, in the classroom, seemingly in life. So, how do we find that balance? How do we resist our own impatience? When the will is fierce and determined, how do we direct it to our benefit and the benefit of those around us?

That is some tough stuff to face. Yowza! --Charry