Ohhhh did I mess up, Reader! I was sitting at my desk, heart pounding, staring at the screen as I realized I had completely forgotten to create and schedule this week’s newsletter. For a solid minute, I was convinced the world was going to end, at least my little corner of it. Deadlines, routines, expectations, all swirling together in a perfect storm of panic. But then it hit me… it’s okay. The world didn’t stop spinning. The sun was still shining. The newsletter would get done, and life...
10 days ago • 3 min read
Adult swim, Reader!. Everyone out of the pool! There was this one summer where I basically lived at the community pool. My routine was simple: swim until I was starving, sprint to the snack bar with soaking-wet dollar bills, and order whatever combination of pizza slices, soft pretzels, and freeze pops I could afford. Then I’d cannonball back in like it was an Olympic event. And then... the lifeguard whistle blew. Adult swim. Which, as any child of the 80s knows, lasted approximately 156...
17 days ago • 3 min read
It's time to cook Reader! There’s this one dish that shows up at almost every potluck, community dinner, or team banquet. You know the one I’m talking about. It’s been around forever, passed from person to person on a food-stained index card that might as well be a historical artifact. The ingredients haven’t changed in decades: margarine, canned soup, crushed crackers, and something... vaguely beige. The thing is, no one really loves it. Most people kind of nudge it around their plate or...
24 days ago • 6 min read
It's go time, Reader! A few years ago, during preseason, I found myself at our first team meeting telling the group, “This is going to be a rebuilding year.” It just came out of my mouth. I did not plan it. I was trying to be honest about where we were as a program: we had graduated some key players, had a lot of new faces, and were heading into a tough schedule. At the time, it felt like the right thing to say. Set realistic expectations. Ease some pressure. But as the season went on, I...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
What a day to be alive, Reader! I was at the grocery store the other day, doing what was supposed to be a quick trip, which of course turned into a full cart by aisle five. You know how it goes. I wandered through the produce section, grabbed my usual staples, and somehow ended up in the snack aisle debating if I really needed that new flavor of kettle chips. (Spoiler alert: I did.) By the time I got to the checkout, the store was starting to fill up. The line at my register had grown long,...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Hey Reader, hope you are having an amazing day! The other day, I was at a diner I hadn’t been to in years, the kind of place where time feels like it hit pause somewhere around 1978. Same faded photos on the wall, same ceiling fans with that slightly-off wobble, same laminated menu with coffee stains baked into the corners. But here's the kicker: when I asked the waitress what the “Diner Deluxe Special” came with, she rattled off a list so random it felt like it came from a dare. Two...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Lets talk tryouts, Reader. I was at the park the other day, watching a group of kids try to conquer the jungle gym. One kid, who must have been around seven or eight, approached the highest bar with a determined look. But as he reached up, his hand hesitated just before grabbing it. You could see his mind racing: “What if I fall?” “What if I can’t do it?” After a few moments, he backed away, choosing a lower rung instead. His friend, who had seen him hesitate, walked over and said, "You’ll...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
OK Reader, it is time to talk about loyalty. Imagine you’re at a local sports game, yours, a friend’s, or maybe your child’s. You’re sitting in the stands, enjoying the action, when, out of the corner of your eye, you spot a player on the field who seems out of place. They're wearing a new jersey, and they’re playing a position that’s usually filled by someone else. The more you think about it, the more you realize that the roster’s shifted again. The coach seems to have brought in some fresh...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Hey Hey Reader! It is that time of week! The other day, I was in a familiar situation: feeling overwhelmed, juggling multiple tasks, and trying to stay on top of everything. I was preparing for an important practice, ensuring the drills were set, mentally going over what needed to be done, and planning feedback to give the players. Suddenly, it hit me. My brain was buzzing with information, ideas, and plans. I felt like I was spinning in circles, unsure of where to focus first. It was like I...
2 months ago • 4 min read