Saturdays have belonged to sports for as long as I can remember. This dates back to my time as a kid playing baseball. Now I have three kids of my own and I shuttle them around the suburbs to play. I coach them, occasionally, and that brings a whole new level of stress (note the hair or lack thereof) and pleasure (note the constant smirk) as I get to feel a hint of responsibility beyond the genetic. Still, pregame sucks because it is just one more thing we are waiting to do vs. actually doing. I’ve created a bit of a ritual about such things to mitigate the annoyance and anticipation. It starts with waking up and playing some games together, then we fall into our cartoons (Beyblade Burst + Pokemon) while we eat… something… then we get our gear and roll out.
The idea here is staying active to delay anticipation. I feel like I do this for a number of things in my life. The idea of staying busy isn’t new. Often it is applied to avoid negative situations, though it is harder to do that as the stress of negativity can be quite oppressive and life changing.
This entire premise is decidedly anti buddhist. In reality we should embrace anticipation and consider it and the moments leading up to and away from any activity that we find demanding. Embrace what we love and what we fear, for all is temporary and to be appreciated.
