Day: January 21, 2021

It all slips away so easily.

I spent a month on break and happy not to be in the daily grind of classes and happy not to feel like I was behind on stuff and I woke up this morning behind on stuff. Such is the life, I suppose. Today I am back to posting on the big board and learning about the things I need to do in order to be more organized and the things I need to do in order to be more successful in my professional life.

Having a daily plan matters. Lately the plan has been ‘write’. This is not a detailed plan. There are no times involved in that plan, no sense of how long but the one chapter mark offered a sense of how much. With the grading and planning back in my life I need to do more in terms of planning and deciding how to move forward effectively.

The first stage of that is getting up earlier and getting going when I get up. Mornings can be powerful workspaces. Once the puppies are cleaned and fed it should be on to the schoolwork, then a break, and then on to the writing, and so on. I need to find a way to ramp up productivity so I am spending less time focused on work and more time focused on love.

Some Thoughts:

1. What I failed to reflect on yesterday was the fact that these all star events are a machine. The entire league is really an industry to keep these kids and parents traveling and playing and pretending to be the best–pretending that what they do now echoes in the higher ranks. In the extremely rare cases it might. There are always going to be the Bunchie Young’s of the world who have out of this world ability and work ethic, but the fact that there is only one kid doing commercials, etc says all you need to know: It ain’t gonna happen for your kid or mine. In truth, I am not even the parent who is putting in that level of time and effort to ensure it happens. I’m not up with them every morning at 6 to workout and get the body trained up. In fact, I still want them to be kids and not live life on such a training schedule.
2. The more I step back from being invested in that youth sports world, the uglier it looks. I am grateful that next year is that capstone year. Following that we will take a year to not do football (save for the 1 high school kid) and truly appreciate what else is out there to be done and to be learned.

I’ll start with the youth stuff:

My youngest was chosen to represent the 11u All Stars for the state. He is one of 36 kids selected out of several hundred who tried out. He views the selection as a starting point; an indication that he has what it takes to be a successful football player at any level and against any competition. That being said, now he’s gotta go to Texas and face players that aren’t from around here. That will be the real test for him.

I am excited for the kid. I won’t be there with him, but I look forward to his success. Yes, not going is strange, but going is beyond what my expenses allow at this point. While this is all still lower level stuff, it teaches him to work hard for what he wants and that what he wants is no small thing. I dig it.

On the pro level, I’m curious about what is coming down the pipe.

DeShaun Watson is likely on the move and his move will trigger others–especially in the draft. I believe this could be fortuitous for the Jets and Giants both. Either team could acquire Watson and be happy about it, but the Jets are the more likely suitors. They continue to speak highly of Darnold, but folks spoke highly of Rosen right up until the pick was announced for his successor (who was actually successful). 1st round draft picks are a huge investment that teams get wrong far more often than they should. At this point the Giants and Jets both need to get it right and get someone who can help them in the long run. No need for a quick buzz pick for either franchise. Why get another unproven QB when you can wait a few rounds and get someone who you can build up to be the next big thing. Or better: Get that man Watson. You have the picks to do it…