PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Focus On The Good
There are so many great life lessons that can be learned on the basketball court. For example, when my daughter was in middle school, she had a coach who yelled at her, and all the girls, a lot. He even yelled at his own daughter until she cried. I was not fond of this coach, yet I felt the best way to handle the situation was to teach my daughter how to cope. To use it as a life lesson, so that as she grew up she would understand how to work with different personalities in the work place and in life. So I talked to my daughter about focusing on the good, enjoying her teammates and enjoying the game.
There will be times in life when people try to fill the world with hate and drag you down with them. Don’t go for it! Instead, take a deep breath, surround your self with positive energy and focus on the good and enjoy, because life is way to short.
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Books, Books and More Good Books…
Have you read a good book lately? I was enjoying dinner at our neighbors last night and long with an amazing meal, I got a new list of books to read. Now if I only had more time.
What are some good books that you would recommend?
WRITING PROMPT #1: Casey grabbed the tattered book from the counter and…
WRITING PROMPT #2: Write the first page of a book you would want to read.
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: TEDxSpokane 2014
I feel privileged to be joining an amazing group of speakers at TEDxSpokane this month. There will be oncologists, musicians, authors, entrepreneurs, and educators all in one room talking about ideas worth sharing. I would love to see you at the event!
Event: TEDxSpokane 2014 Connections & Intersections
Date: October 13, 2014
Location: Saint George’s School – Founders Theater 2929 W Waikiki Rd, Spokane, WA 99208
Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm
Reservation & more information
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Help
Sonya getting out of her hospital bed for physical therapy-1991
I’ve been fighting a bad hamstring for about three months now and I finally gave in and went for help. Fortunately our insurance didn’t make me see a doctor first for a referral, because I hate to pay to have them tell me something I already know, “You should see a physical therapist.”
The cost always discourages me to go initially, and I had good and bad news in that regard. The good: everyone in our family is relatively healthy. The bad: we have a big deductible, so since we’ve been healthy we haven’t used much of the deductible, which means, I’m paying for physical therapy. And it’s not cheap. But if anyone knows how important it is to keep your body moving and how much a physical therapist can help, I do. I’ve had sports injuries over the years and I was hit by a train and went through a lot of rehab. A huge part of getting and keeping myself healthy has always been physical therapy.
So I got off my wallet and picked up the phone. The first place I called was a location in my neighborhood that had alway intrigued me because of the name; BIOJUNCTION: Sports Therapy. I had always thought to myself, if I need some PT I’m going to check that place out. So I did. And when I walked into the place the first thing I noticed were some Eastern Eagle T-shirts hung with pride. I graduated from and played basketball for Eastern. This was the place.
My physical therapist (actually a DPT, “D” for Doctorate) played volleyball at Eastern. I had confidence that, as an […]
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: Peace
Yesterday my yoga instructor invited the class to choose an Intention for the day. I breathed in, my body and mind was tight, it has seemed that way for some time. Into my mind came the word PEACE. I thought, “How corny. Really? Peace is what you come up with Sonya?” But I closed my eyes, and again it was Peace that resonated for me. Peace that I needed.
As we all know, life is busy. I don’t think my life is any busier than anyone else’s, but I haven’t been able to find the peace and calm that is so important to me, especially in the midst of chaos. I write, model, chauffeur kids (well, now down to one), fix and manage rental houses and over the past twenty plus years I’ve been coaching as well. And during my […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Forget about the Perfect Word, First Capture your Thoughts
The thesaurus is my friend. Some may not need this crutch of sorts, this slayer of words. But I use mine (all three), a lot. I have one on my computer, as well as big thick hardback book that my husband bought for me years ago and last my husband himself, he is my personal thesaurus. If he is near and I’m searching for a word, I’ll holler out, “What’s another word for dive?” And with amazing consistency, he’ll pause for a second and then reply, “Plunge, plummet, drop…” and more useable words that hit the spot. (I have no idea how he does this, but it seems to work for me more often than not.)
However, he’s not always around, so if I’m writing away and I know what I want to say, but I just can’t pull a specific word […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Giving It Up
I played basketball the other day with my husband and some friends. My husband and I were teamed together, and when we are on the same team I tend to make him do the inside work. He is a good five inches taller than me. But when we were on a fast break he called for that ball earlier than normal and reminded me, “Give up the ball and I’ll get it back to you.” Ah, so true. The basic Give & Go. (If only I could move my 49-year-old body fast enough to fill the break to get it back).
Don’t be afraid to pass the ball to your teammates, in the end you will get more opportunities with the ball. Give and you shall receive. A fundamental part of the game and an important lesson in life.
On the court and […]
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