I have taken Alex with me to matches throughout his life. Even at under a year old, he was wrapped up in a baby carrier, being toted through a stadium filled with shouts and screams all so he could be present for the events.
Dear Boys,
And yet, he mostly slept or cried.
In the years since, he’s become more of an afficianado. He will ask to watch with me from time to time. He truly enjoys wearing his Loons gear, and he’s even started attending and adoring soccer training at pre-school: Soccer Shots. (Quoth the coach: “Alex shows growing ability at scoring goals!)
So heading back into the stadium this year, the first year of confident-Post-COVID attendance, I was hoping to see if he had developed a more refined appreciation of the game: more understanding of nuance and interest in both what happened with the ball and what happened away from it. The match didn’t disappoint: Luis Amarilla netted twice, Bongokuhle Hlongwane got his first goal at home to raucous applause, and the opposing Portland Timbers matched the Loons every step of the way. Surely, I thought, this will create a deep and multifaceted love of the game in Alex.
Alex’s take away: the gummy worms at the stadium are really good. And celebrating goals is fun!
It might sound like I’m making fun, but the truth is, I really envy how clearly Alex can see things. I want to hold on to that idea, I want to come back to it again and again.
As someone who can make absolutely everything overwrought, I need to remember that Alex’s approach is often the best. Keep it Simple, Son.
(Okay, that’s not the usual acronym, but I’m actively trying to avoid name calling, even towards myself)
You can worry about the pace, or the marking strategy. You can worry over the expressions you use and whether or not you have anybody reading your work.
In all that worrying, in all that cogitating, you can lose sight of the thing that you actively want to do.
Score goals.
Write.
In short, just be. And Alex already understands that.
Keep it simple, son.
MacKenzie's Boot Room 