No one likes to lose, but I think it's especially tough for kids, since the adult world does such an excellent job of teaching them that being on top --being the best, the biggest, the strongest, the fastest-- is what matters and is what makes them great. But fortunately, that's not the message Isaac's coach is sending his team.
Following one particularly brutal defensive half of an inning, he summoned the boys to a quick huddle. I couldn't hear exactly what was said, but it was a pep talk. A 'keep your head in the game,' 'live the moment,' 'have fun and shake it off' kind of talk. And then they went back to the dugout and the game continued.
And then an interesting thing happened: those formerly quiet, sullen kids --whose hearts no doubt ached with disappointment as they watched their opponents' lead grow-- seemed to find a new song to sing. They cheered for their teammates as they headed to the plate. They made some noise. And they rallied. In the end, they trailed by too many runs to stage a comeback, but they were on a roll when time expired. To use an appropriate baseball cliche, they went down swingin'.
If I know anything about this life, it's that we don't always win. Even when we hope and pray and plead and beg and even when what we're requesting seems like a reasonable ask, we still may not get what we want. But so much of life is about attitude, and I feel blessed that these kids are learning that lesson now. And I pray that they'll continue to carry it with them.
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