Up for a little more basketball talk? We didn’t get to see our local college teams play this weekend, but we still worked in some basketball. Late Friday afternoon, we made a trip down to see our nephew Cody (taller kid front and center above) play on his 5th grade team.
Cody’s team beat their opponents handily, and yes, I whooped and hollered when Cody made a basket :) A few heads turned to see who the crazy lady was cheering for Cody, but I didn’t care. I needed to be extra loud since it will probably be the only game of his I get to see this season.
We arrived late and missed the first few minutes of play, but after spotting the rest of the family and getting seated, we could tell right away we were in for a totally different kind of ball than what we’re used to seeing at the college games :) Every few seconds, boys seemed to hit the floor. A few simply fell while running down the court, several got their feet tangled up with other players, and some would go down as a group. One collision sent four or five of them to the floor at once.
Their little bodies made such awful splats. I gasped more than once. Thank goodness, Cody stayed on his feet the entire time we were there. My sister Carolyn assured me that this was normal — that they fall all the time. When I pointed out blatant traveling and fouls that that the officials seemed to be blind to, she offered more assurance. “They can’t call everything. We’d be here all night. They have to pick and choose what they call.” Good point.
Even though this isn’t the first year of basketball for most of these boys, they’re still very much in the learning and skill developing stage of the game. What’s exciting, though, is that in between the falls, fouls, and travels, they made some great plays. Steals, lay-ups, good blocking, teamwork — we saw it all. And one day, some of these same boys could be the ones on college teams making the slick plays and slam dunks.
Whether in basketball or life in general, acquiring new skills and attempting new things just can’t be done without making plenty of mistakes along the way. Can anyone relate? I know I can. I remember going “splat” many times throughout my life :)
Let’s not let the fear of making mistakes keep us from growing and learning new things. Trying to master computer stuff and our new digital camera keeps me making my share of mistakes — but I’m also learning and improving all the time. Kind of like some 5th grade boys I saw the other night… How about you? Attempting anything new lately? Remember, going “splat” is to be expected. Just keep trying.
“…we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galations 6:9b
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Win-Win Situations
Not only is Jeneal my dear friend, but she is my critique partner as well. Pretty amazing really. God blessed me with her friendship many years before we started sharing an interest in writing. Now our friendship is sweeter because of our bond as writers, and our writing relationship is sweeter because of our friendship. Another win-win situation!
This past year I’ve been learning that a critique partner or group is absolutely essential for writers. A set of fresh and objective eyes can catch all kinds of mistakes (punctuation errors, wrong words, repeated words or phrases, awkward sounding sentences, etc.) as well as make suggestions on how to make a piece stronger and better. Yes, writers need a thick skin. Having problems pointed out is not always a fun process, but it definitely produces a better end result as we weigh the input and refine the work.
Jeneal and I have helped each other with critiques time and again — and I’m not just talking about our writing. Our solid friendship allows us to speak freely with each other about other areas of our lives, too. We can say things like “Do you really think that’s a good idea?” or “Maybe you could try this instead…” If one of us points something out to the other, we know it’s coming from a spirit of love, and we treasure the advice. I’m lucky to have a few friendships like that.
What about some of you? Comment and tell me how critique is valuable in your work and if you have someone who is serving you in that capacity (yes, it’s a service!). Or possibly you are the one providing critique. I’d like to hear about how someone’s advice has helped or is helping you.
Think for a moment, too, about your friendships. Do you enjoy a close friendship where you can freely give and receive advice? If not, why not make it a goal to develop one. Everyone needs this kind of win-win situation in their lives. Be prepared, though — you may have to restrain yourself from squealing sometime at your favorite meeting spot :)
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17
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