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Choosing Our Field
What would be your first response? Would it be, “Screw ‘em”? This past Saturday I showed up at 7:30 A.M. to make sure the field for my girls soccer team was all set. When I arrived, one field was lined; another was not. So, I called one of the league commissioners and asked which field I was to use. The schedule indicated that it was the field with no lines; but I wanted to make sure, because the league had been wrong in the past. When I talked to the commissioner, I couldn’t believe my ears: take the lined field, she declared, before anyone else shows up! Plant my flag, was the decree. Just tell the other team that they have to deal with the lousy field. I said, “We can’t do that!” And she replied, “Sure you can. Just do it!” Is this how I would have wanted any of the girls I coach to respond? How about my own high school-aged daughter? Is this what I would have wanted another coach to do, if he or she had arrived before me? My league commissioner essentially was telling me to do what was easiest for me; my obligation to others was nonexistent. In my research, I find that many of us pursue this path. We are told we can have whatever we want, when we want it. We are a nation of consummate consumers. Saturday morning I waited to make sure no other team was scheduled to play. Then my team went on to win 1-0. It was a tough game. The girls demonstrated what happens when they give of themselves, rather than just think of themselves. So I leave you with this question: Where should we draw the line when it comes to choosing a field – and when do we say, “Screw ‘em”?