I spent a lot of time this past weekend watching Girl's State High School Basketball. You might be wondering why because I'm done playing and am graduated and that part of my life is over but as much as I try to deny it...I miss playing.
The game wasn't ruined for me. A coach didn't steal my passion. I just grew up and had to move on. The game simply isn't as big a part of my life as it once was-- and that's OK, but it doesn't mean I don't miss it.
As I was watching one of the games, I noticed that after it was over several players from the runner-up team were crying. My automatic reaction was "Oh I feel so bad for them," but as I thought about it more I realized how lucky they are that they got the chance to play in the state championship game. I mean some girls can only dream of that. Some don't even know what it's like to play in the state tournament let alone a championship game. So I think there is a very valuable lesson that we all should know about basketball and life.
This article is for the girls who never won a state championship or never made it to the state tournament. Now I understand that winning is not everything and that basketball is just a game, but I also realize that life itself is a game and therefore it all does matter. What I mean by that is that sometimes you have to take some losses but overall, you've got to try to win.
You won't always get the outcome you want in something but that gives you the opportunity to find something new to love and win at that. What I love about basketball is the fact that it taught me lessons that I have been able to use in my college life now and will continue to use for the rest of my life.
I wasn't the best at basketball in high school and my teams were never "the champions," but I can tell you that every day I try to be "the champion" of my major and classes and that someday I will try to be "the champion" of the company I work for. Life is a constant cycle of changes, turns, ups, and downs but overall I believe that in the end you win at what you were meant to win at.
