Monday’s Pen to Paper: Time
My daughter and I started our writing class last week. We were supposed to submit 10 pages to our new writing partners by midnight on Sunday. I just emailed mine. That’s 12 hours late and let me tell you, I don’t feel good about it.
What is it about never having enough time in the day?
Just when I think I might be caught up, I remember a dozen more things that need to be done. I normally pick a couple of things that are near the top of my list and then do them, then a couple more and a couple more. And sometimes they are not quite in order. There are even those things, like the last bit of tax information that I still have to wrangle up and sort and give to my accountant, that somehow slip by without getting done until I just can’t stand it anymore.
But I’ve learned over the years that there will ALWAYS be things on my list and not enough time to do them, so I just have to breathe, check things off my list as I go, make sure to take some time to enjoy life and then start the process again.
WRITING PROMPT 1: How do you make good use of your time? What methods do you use to keep your to-do list in check?
WRITING PROMPT 2: Clara glanced at her watch and sprinted out the door…
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Adjust and Enjoy
This morning everything was getting in the way of writing my blog. The dishes, the laundry, and just as I was sitting down to get to work, my husband. Granted he came with a decaf tall latte in hand, my usual (and favorite), and a cheerful, “Happy Mother’s Day.”
“It’s not Mother’s Day.” I said.
“Yeah, but it’s this weekend…and I’m going to be gone.” he reminded me.
He is going on a motorcycle trip. I told him I thought Mother’s Day was the following weekend but I was really not sure. I guess I could have pulled it up on my computer as my hands were perched over the key board in mid-sentence, but we just pondered the fact and then he plopped down next to me.
Would it be rude to keep typing?
I tried, but I’m not good with someone staring at me. Still, I didn’t have the heart to close my computer, just scooted it to the side, thinking to myself that I should have written my blog BEFORE I did the dishes.
In life, things get in the way, slow you down, block the path to your goals. Whether it’s something little, like someone you love sitting down next to you to enjoy a cup of coffee, when you were on task to write a blog and then the next best-selling YA novel or your goal of making First Team All-League gets sideswiped by a blown out knee, you have to be ready to adjust and re-establish your goals.
This morning, though initially a little annoyed, I relaxed and enjoyed my latte and my husband. I enjoyed the moment, and then continued with my day happier for it. On the basketball court, I have come back from sprained ankles, jammed fingers and broken limbs. I have […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: A Little Pressure Can Be Good
My spring writing class starts Thursday and I’m not ready. We are supposed to have a description of our book and the plot, and the first 10 pages ready to go. I don’t write my books from start to finish so this is a small problem for me but not one that I can’t figure out with my pen in hand and my butt in a chair. It’s time to get to work.
Sometimes a deadline is all you need.
WRITING PROMPT: Write about a deadline that you scrambled to reach…
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: My Take on Basketball Shooting Machines
I’ve had several people try to convince me to buy a basketball shooting machine for our basketball program. My response is always, “One, we have no storage space. Two, what’s wrong with finding a partner, working together on good passing and catching the ball in motion like you would in a game? And three, we work hard for our money, let’s spend it on things ALL the girls will benefit from.”
Yesterday after my Women’s Rec-League basketball game, one of my teammates (who is also a high school coach) asked if we had a machine. I gave her my patent response.
She gave me her opinion. She explained how her machine tracks a person’s shooting and can be set to pass the ball in different areas. “I love it.” She said, “In fact, I’m going to pull it out and get some shots in before our next game.” She also admitted that a booster had donated the machine and that they had a place to store it.
After my teammates description, and my questionable shooting that night, I was ready to join her to work on my shot. But I still was not ready to buy a shooting machine for our team. I feel like the cost outweighs the benefits for us. I might be a little old school, but when I took over our girls basketball program we had $4 and 4 uniforms, we needed the basics. Four years later we have new JV and Varsity uniforms, new warmups, a score clock and new balls but we are still working on what I consider some of the basics and we are doing some fun things as well, like team building basketball road-trips. Something that I feel the majority of my high school athletes will […]
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: Leave It All On The Court
It’s basketball 24/7 these days, we’re in the playoffs. We have a Regional loser out game tomorrow night to get to State. I wish the game was tonight, the waiting is killing me! But instead we have had all week to prepare and get the girls healthy (The flu passed through our team and finally the players are feeling better.)
Monday was a light practice. Tuesday and Wednesday we really pushed the girls. Last night we had a fun practice and team dinner and today we will have a shooting practice. Then it’s game time. Of course a win would be optimal, and we are going to do everything in our power to make that happen, but if the players “leave it all on the court”, give it everything that they’ve got, then there can be no regrets.
This is the same for living life. […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Dig Deep
Recently our point guard went down with an ACL injury. A complete tear. As her coach, it’s a bummer of course, but she will be dealing with it every day for the next six to nine months. That SUCKS…and that’s putting it mildly.
I think of our point guard every day, throughout the day, because I know what it’s like to deal with injuries. On the court I’ve dealt with sprained ankles, broken fingers and other sports injuries. And I’ve returned from a bad femur break and arm & shoulder injury after a car accident (more about my recovery in this Eastern Magazine article Peace, Love, Basketball by Kandi Carper), so I know that surgery and physical rehabilitation are difficult, but it’s the mental recovery that’s the toughest.
Athletes want to play. Our point guard wants to play. She wants to feel and […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Selfless
We had our first playoff game last night. Our starting point guard is out for the season with a torn ACL, our 6’6″ starting post player was home with the flu and we had six varsity players in total. Our team had to play together to have a chance.
Before the game I encouraged them to play selfless, like our point guard is known to do. (She is ranked 2nd in the state of Washington for assists per game, she plays tough defense and she puts down shots when we need them). She has never received much credit in ink, but she plays the game with “TEAM” in mind.
Without her, our girls would have to draw from that same mindset to win, and they did. They were SELFLESS. They didn’t try to do too much (which often happens when new players take the court […]
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