Tag: Losing

61. When the only way out is through

61. When the only way out is through

by scruffyrube ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

You boys have one love beyond your mother…and it’s not me.

Owen kisses her picture, Alex recites her words and re-enacts her story. You boys love Moana so much she saw you through the long interminable drive through North Dakota not once but twice [Not counting the three times we played the whole soundtrack]

You love lots of moments: Maui’s first appearance, Tomatoa’s defeat, hooks exploding, blow darts in butt cheeks, all the belted songs. But Owen recently adopted a song with a message that felt fresh to me, even after our 218th viewing.

The journey may leave a scar,

but scars can heal and reveal just where you are

–Lin Manuel Miranda “I am Moana”

Dear Boys,

The more I hear it the more I like that line. Honestly, you will have failures in life, lots of them. some of them will hurt so much that it’s hard to carry on

This line doesn’t suggest that the pain makes you stronger. Rather the pain makes you wiser. You know where you are more than who you are. You know enough to plan the next step.

The moment may be painful, even years later, but it can serve you well if you walk through it.

Consider the Loons. I’m writing this as I walk home after their last game in a hellacious week of 3 games in 7 days (all against top 4 opponents). They won tonight but were clobbered in the first two.

The scars of the first two losses sting, reminders that we aren’t elite by any stretch. But they make these moments sweeter. We aren’t great, yet, but we can, and hopefully will be.

The journey to upsets

Or think of the Griz. They actually have some say in their opponents. They could lurk in the mountain west clobbering lower division opponents and only worrying about Big Sky trophies. They could be great in that vacuum, but they choose to go for difficult games to build a squad that can be tournament tough.

They’re not on the cusp of a national championship, but they’re on a journey that aims beyond a tough loss to Creighton, or even stirring upsets of Boise State and Long Beach. Coach Citowicki knows where they are, and is helping them to journey farther.

Mama knows where she is

Simplest of all, remember your family. We drove through North Dakota to do the hard task of saying goodbye. Your mom and grandma could shut down grief and ignore the pain of loss, but going to say goodbye will help them center themselves in the present. Through the goodbyes they remember where they are: here with you, the next generation. Ready to start again.

It certainly isn’t easy, and I understand if you feel like you can’t. But when you can, I hope you remember that in the moment of pain, thinking long term may serve you in ways you can’t imagine.

40. It’s going to be a long year…

40. It’s going to be a long year…

by scruffyrube ♥ 1 Comment

I love sports, they just don’t always love me back.

Dear Boys,

If sports loved fans, the way we loved sports, everyone would always win and achieve a noble victory. But that’s not the way of things.

Before I wrote this blog for you, I wrote one about baseball with your mom. It was a way to be silly and talk with each other and share our love for the local team. (Before we acknowledged our love for each other)

The sad part is, while we watched some good games and cheered hard, the Twins always fell short. Sometimes they were the worst in baseball, sometimes the were the best…but still got beaten handily en route to another playoff exit. [As they were…AGAIN…this week]

Don’t think twice it’s alright….(Inside Hook)

Our expectations were always high and our disappointment was, correspondingly, deep.

Our attention to Alebrijes de Oaxaca hasn’t lasted nearly as long, but this numb, depressing, losing streak has still hurt. At a time when small clubs are struggling already, seeing Oaxaca suffer defeat upon defeat just compounds the pain.

With defeat and loss so common, it’s fair to wonder, why pay attention at all? Why put your heart out there if it’s probably going to end up in pain.

I’ve already said that trophies aren’t as important as learning from it. But if, like the jinxed Twins and the forlorn Alebrijes, you never seem to learn from your mistakes or change the cycle, then why?

Because learning loyalty is rewarded with loyalty of its own.

You don’t have to blindly adore them. You don’t have to spend money on them. But if you show your gratitude, show your concern, and offer your support you get so much back.

We will stand by the Twins even in the heartbreak of a record setting losing streak.

Another long, sad, walk home (Medio Tempo)

We will stand by Alebrijes even in a cellar dwelling campaign.

We stand with teams in the bad times and the good and we learn to do the same for others. Every time you show loyalty, your friends, neighbors and fellow fans will learn to keep the faith in you too.

Loyalty to losers is how we build community for the bad times. Hard as it is, this is a good time to love the Twins and love Alebrijes. This is a good time to build loyalty.