Playing In The Mud

Remember how you played when you were a kid?

Not the organized, school or Little-League sanctioned games, but the pick-up football, baseball, basketball, or soccer games that happened in the backyard or the neighborhood park? Remember tag, hide-and-seek, cowboys and Indians (sorry, we were not PC in the 70s), or 1,000 other games you played?

Let me ask you something . . .

How often did those games get cancelled because it rained? How often did you stay inside because it was too hot, or too cold, because you were tired, or had something better to do?

If you were like me and the kids I grew up with, not very often. In fact, unless your parents told you otherwise, you played no matter what.

What happened?

When did we decide we could only play if and when conditions were perfect? When did TV become so important, or doing nothing become a pastime?

When did mud become toxic, rain poisonous, heat unbearable, and cold intolerable?

When did we get so soft?

Life lessons learned.

I really believe playing is practicing for life. We could go into the lessons I learned as a kid playing all those games, but I don't have to . . . you already know. A few are worth mentioning, though, because they still apply. To start with, you played whenever you had the chance, and you did the best you could.

Always.

I truly believe those lessons carried over into my adult life. Playing in the rain taught me to be tough, and that the playing field of life wasn't always going to be perfectly manicured and maintained. Sliding through the mud taught me to get up when I fell, and that dirt washes off.

Cold hands and numb fingers taught me to keep my eye on the ball. 100 degree days taught me a little sweat never hurt anyone. Winning taught me hard work pays off. Losing taught me humility.

Those are lessons for life.

We need to get back out in the mud.

When we stop playing because it's too hot or too cold, too muddy or too dry, too this or too that, we start forgetting those lessons. We forget to work harder when life gets tough, to play smarter when you're outnumbered, to swing for the fences sometimes, to get up and try again.

Striving for success in conditions that are less than perfect pretty much defines life, doesn't it?

What better practice could there be than getting out there and playing in the mud?