Monday’s Pen to Paper: A Cool Breeze And A Good Night Of Z’s Equals Happiness
I’ve been melting lately. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a nice sunny day but when the temperature creeps up past 90 degrees in Seattle it’s just too hot for me. It’s not that bad if I can escape to the water, but that’s not alway the case, I’m often at home where our house becomes an oven.
A good friend of mine loves this type of heat. In it she’s vibrant and alive, while I, on the other hand, feel cooked and tired and grumpy. I have been fighting this tired feeling over the past few days, pushing myself to enjoy the heat some as well as get work done. But honestly, it hasn’t been easy. Then last night a cool breeze came in.
I opened every window and door in the house, I stepped outside to feel the freshness whirl around me and to hear rustling in the trees. I breathed in the crisp air. I even hoped for rain. The rain didn’t, come but a smile did. And so did a great nights sleep which made me ready for a new day, no matter the temperature.
WRITING PROMPT #1: What makes you happy?
WRITING PROMPT #2: Eleanor wished her air conditioning hadn’t died…
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Free Fun
My mom was in town for three days. It was a chance for us girls (me, my mom and my daughter) to celebrate a belated Birthday/Mother’s day present for my mom, our Oma. I had planned to get tickets for a concert downtown and perhaps go to the theatre as well, but I didn’t find music, or an act, at the usual venues that I thought my mom would truly enjoy.
However, I did find a free concert at a local coffee shop in our neighborhood (C & P Coffee House), and on an Instagram post my daughter found Dancing Until Dusk, which involved free swing dance lessons and live music at Westlake Park. So we went for it. During my mom’s visit we also took pleasure in beach combing at low tide on Alki, spent an afternoon making jewelry, and an evening taking in the view of Seattle while enjoying fish tacos at Marination.
And we did it all on near to nothing.
I wasn’t trying to be stingy, in fact I was ready to spend money, it was a celebration, but as I know (and it doesn’t hurt to get reminded from time to time), you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have fun. It’s how you spend your time that is important. And let me tell you, we spent our time wisely, and had a blast.
Spend time doing things that you love with the people who you love…
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Find Your Groove.
Sonya Elliott – AAU Basketball 1983
Some people have a natural shot. I’m not one of those people, but with time on the court, hard work and heart, I became a good shooter. There are better shooters for sure, but I have always been good enough to help my team and that is all that matters to me.
Learning to shoot can be a challenge. I know it has been tough for my kids because they get conflicting advise. Mom (former college basketball player and a basketball coach for 25 years) tells them one thing and Dad (former college athlete) tells them another. My daughter never wanted to do extra shooting around my husband and I, because our opinions differed. In the end it didn’t matter who was giving the correct coaching techniques for shooting (though I believe it was me), what mattered was the effect upon my daughter. The conflict caused her to stop doing extra shooting through much of high school. It was difficult for her to take on, and execute, two different opinions so instead she focused on other parts of her game. She is a well-rounded player that rebounds, passes and plays tenacious defense with the best of them, and she can score (she has a nice shot), but it hasn’t been until this summer that she has wanted to find her own space, and shoot again.
Having parents and coaches on the same page is so important. It is not always easy to find middle ground with two coaching parents, for a parent to support a coach with a different style, or for an assistant coach to follow a head coaches techniques and philosophy, however it is better for a player to have less conflict, to […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: What Are You Resisting?
Today I wrote with my friend Jenny and my daughter (our usual Thursday writing day was full this week). We warmed up our pens and our minds with the writing prompt, What am I resisting? What a great question. A question that is important to address. And the thing about answering this question, is that if you allow yourself the opportunity to open up, (even if it’s just to yourself, maybe on a piece of paper that you tear up and throw away when you’re done), if you probe the truths within your heart and soul, you will find that you know the answers. Not only to what you’re resisting, but why, and often even how best to find your way through the resistance and on to living your life to it’s fullest.
What are you resisting in your life?
WRITING PROMPT: What am I resisting? Why?
Meet Sonya
Meet Sonya
Sonya Elliott’s memoir, Back on the Court: A Young Woman’s Triumphant Return to Life, Love & Basketball, is her story of finding hope in the wake of tragedy after she and her fiancé were hit by a train. She blogs about writing, basketball, and life and is currently working on a Young Adult Novel and a Non-Fiction Coaching book. Stories of her career as a fashion model are woven through her memoir, as both the Soloflex and Easy Spirit Shoes commercials were filmed during that time period, and this unique and intriguing business continues to be a part of her life.
Sonya played basketball at Eastern Washington University and was a starter for the Big Sky Champion team that went to the 1987 NCAA tournament. She coached for almost 25 years and was voted Seattle Times Coach of the Year, Seattle Officials Women’s Basketball Association Coach of the Year, and twice voted Metro League Coach of the Year. She loves the game of basketball and is thankful, not only for her husband and kids but for her ability to continue to get back on the court.
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PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Check Your Tone
“Are you just going to stand there?” The question, not directed to me, came with a harsh tone and a stare at player on the opposing team yesterday morning when I was playing pick up ball. The coach (and mom) in me cringed as I back-peddled on defense. Then the question was followed by several more choice words of advice. I’ve heard it all before, negative coaching and yelling from parents, players and fans over the years and I don’t like it. I watched the young player who had received the question, hunch over a bit. His eyes lowered. I know the yeller meant well, he wants the player to get better, learn to hustle, to be a better teammate, and I’m sure he didn’t see a thing wrong with his question. But is this the best way?
I don’t think so. Unfortunately, […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Food for Thought…
WRITING PROMPT: Take a look at the photo above and then write for 10 minutes! Go.
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: How to Get Your Shot Back
When I worry about making my shot during a game, when I start thinking too much, it affects my shot in a bad way. So I have learned a trick that works for me on the basketball court come game time, and that is to simply forget about my shot. If my shot is off at the start of a game, the first thing I do is focus on other parts of my game; defense, rebounding, passing and of course making sure I hustle.
It may seem odd for a coach to say forget about the one thing that you are trying to do better, but it’s worked for me as a player and when I was coaching it was one of my first recommendations for a struggling shooter. I would tell them to forget about their shot and just get out there […]
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