Loser or Winner?

What do you do when you know you are going to lose? That’s not to say that I have a pessimistic view on things. Far from it. I am here in Colville, WA today for my oldest son’s track meet. It’s about an hour 20 minute drive north of Spokane where we live. It’s a cold, windy day and I’m watching some kids running in not much more than a tank top & shorts. I am struck that despite the wind & cold, they are giving it their all. And that includes kids who some would say are not very athletic.


I just finished watching the hurdle races. And to say that there were girls who weren’t very coordinated is a true understatement. And yet, they ran. They jumped. They banged into the hurdles. And they finished. Oh sure there were a few athletes who ran well. The same amount of steps between each hurdles is the exact way to do it and some girls did it efficiently and ran good times. And then there were some who did baby steps in between each hurdle. Of course, they took a long time to finish.

But isn’t that the beauty of it all. They finished. They gave it their best even though they knew they wouldn’t win and they finished. They knew they would lose before the race even started. Maybe they even ran a personal record (p.r.). Good for them. I admire that kind of determination.

Looking at my life, I wonder how many times I figured I was going to lose at something and so I just gave up without even trying. That wouldn’t surprise me. I have always been competitive and wanted to win. Often times a p.r. isn’t good enough for me. I need to win. What a crazy thought process that is!!!

Ah yes. Nothing like sitting outside on a cold, now blustery, day to do a little self-evaluation, huh? Enough for now. My hands, which are beginning to freeze, have no gloves to warm them. My little digits are struggling to move. And we are only on the 3rd event. Oy vey, I’m going to be here a while. Nevertheless, I will continue my self-evaluation while I wait for my son’s first race; one in the beginning or the meet and of course, one at the end. I’ll watch, evaluate, go warm up in the van & then brave this cold weather again.

Until next time,

RSPS Sunny