Competitive nature

One thing I know very well about myself is that I have the tendency to have a competitive nature. I can turn nearly anything into a competition if I don't restrain myself. This was made evident as a child when I would lose games against opponents who were much older and more experienced at the game than I, and eventually this was channeled into wanting to play against the person who was just a little better so that I could improve. Nothing's changed really about these facts, I'm simply older and have a better grip on when I shouldn't be so competitive.

As an exercise in this, we have a softball team with work that began last year. It is in a recreational league and last season our record was 1-7. I had a very hard time with that because I'm used to playing on highly structured, championship teams but managed to check my competitive nature at the car door and have a good time on the field. It was fun to get to help people who had never played before learn how the game is played. We all had a blast and spent some good time together. Naturally when we were talking about having a team again this season, I signed up. We are 3 games in and looking to repeat our record from last season. Not really, but so far we're on that path. We play well when we get our focus on the game, but that's a challenge for us all. There are so many things happening in our lives and it is not always easy to keep our focus on what we are doing in the moment. 

So my dilemma becomes resisting the desire to tell people what I've heard from coaches all my life, "You don't practice, you don't play" and so on. It's a tricky balance really to want to be able to let your hair down and have a good time, and still be able to smile after a loss. No one can say they like to lose all the time, and I'm probably the poster child for it. But there is some truth in the coach's statement. If you don't practice how then can you expect to win? Albert Einstein said it best, " Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." 

Brrrrr...

Winter moved in this year with very minimal warning and made itself completely at home here in the South. I jotted some notes during January and part of February about it and in my absence from blogging, I'll share some of it with you.

It's gone beyond chilly or cold to full blown frigid. We've had some decent cold spells already this winter, but this latest weather fiasco takes the cake. Yesterday morning we awoke to cloudy skies and 52 degrees above freezing; this will be important later. By 7 o'clock in the evening it was below freezing and we had a half inch of snow on the ground. Absolutely amazing really. Today's high temperature was a whopping 10 degrees above zero but if we factor in the wind chill it felt like 10 degrees below zero. For many winters when it has been so cold I've said that this body was not made for cold. And it's true-- my knees ache incessantly thanks to old sports injuries; my hands, feet and lowest areas of my legs are very difficult to keep warm; I have Reynaud's Disease to give credit for that one. During the course of this week, the temperature here was colder than the temperature in Fairbanks, Alaska three days in a row! During a normal winter here when I find myself whining about the cold, I can ask my friend in Alaska what the weather is where she is and I'm instantly zapped back into proper perspective. This year, however, I find myself part time wishing I could trade with her.  But, I find myself adapting to this cold in ways I never imagined. The week after this particular week or temps below 20 degrees all week, I went out one morning with Uglymug and Lard about 6:00 a.m. It was early, I was groggy and really warm from sleeping and didn't think about a coat. Five minutes out and suddenly I'm wondering why my hands are cold. I came in and checked the weather and it was 34 degrees. I went to work that day with no coat because 34 degrees felt warm! It's slightly scary and highly unnerving--why would I, flip flop and sandal goddess come to tolerate cold? I have no idea at all, but it makes me giggle. I went out during the "warm" week for a shopping trip with flip flops on when the temp went above 50 degrees! Such has been our weather thus far this year. As much as I don't enjoy cold, I am hoping that it helps kill of a lot of the bugs :) 

Fall....part one

Fall makes me reflective and nostalgic. I suspect it does so to many of us. For me it stirs to the forefront of my mind the activities I enjoyed as a child during this season- playing in the freshly fallen leaves and hearing them crunch underfoot; the smells of the leaves on the ground and first fires lit and wafting through chimneys. The hours spent outside enjoying the brilliant blue skies and rainbow sunsets, knowing all too well they would soon be replaced by the dreary greys of winter. And who can ever forget the smells and tastes of hot apple cider or cocoa and fresh baked pumpkin pies? These are things that probably 100 of us can relate to and smile at the memories.
For me there's a few more that are probably not so familiar, like taking a day to go to old book stores with my mom and sisters and being mesmerized by the beauty of the written word and the scent that is unique only to an old book store. Or spending weekends with my family with a football game on in one room, a game of dominoes or rook happening in another and a constant revolving door of food through the kitchen. Meanwhile I'd roam from one to another during the day, joining in a few rounds of dominoes or deliberately cheering for the "other" team in the football game. Always at some point I'd find myself outside. Sometimes alone but usually hot on the heels of my cousins who were all at least ten years older than I. Oh the trouble we got into! But I wouldn't trade it for the world. I can credit these cousins along with my brothers for my love of sports  and family. We may not always (or ever) cheer for the same team, but we are still going to gather together and watch the amazing plays and hear the clash of helmets and pads while we continue to grow and learn about life. Ya know, there's a lot of life lessons taught between plays that stick long after we forget the score of the game.
Enjoy some fall nostalgia of your own and make some new memories this year.