Monday’s Pen to Paper: Holiday Spirit
I’m not quite in the Holiday spirit but I’m getting there. Yesterday my husband put some lights on the house and we got our Christmas tree up. I even had hot spiced wine mulling (this ritual actually starts the day after Thanksgiving). I don’t drink it every day, just let its flavor permeate the house (and cover the odor of two large dogs).
I grew up celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve and decorating a day or two before. This was normal, so I’m actually a little ahead of schedule. Today I will spend some time getting the rest of the house more festive, which might start with getting it clean, and then adding garland, the Three Kings and miniature Christmas room that my grandma made, the Annalee Elves and Santas that my mom and dad have given me over the years and if I get really crazy I might pull out Santa’s sleigh and the reindeer that have been handed down to our family and string them across the back window. But that might be going a bit too far for me.
Several years ago I decorated earlier, like many people (including my grandma), but by the time Christmas arrived, the tree was crisp and dropping needles, my garland was shriveled up, the Christmas songs were getting old and honestly I was tired of it all. Call me Scrooge, but that’s how I felt, I guess I don’t need all the ramp up time, just a few days around the Holiday to really relax and enjoy.
How do you get in the Holiday spirit? What are some of your rituals?
WRITING PROMPT: Write about how you get in the Holiday spirit.
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Sick and Tired
Two weeks ago I felt awesome. Now I feel like I’m 80 years old. I’ve been fighting vertigo, painful joints (maybe that has something to do with too many jammed fingers on the basketball court) and I’m just plain tired. Sometimes getting old sucks.
Do you ever have those days? Weeks?
WRITING PROMPT: Write about a time when you were sick or feeling down, then write about a time when you felt awesome.
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Team
What does it take to be a part of a team? Weather it’s a sports team or a team of co-workers, it’s not always easy to find your way. For me it’s been an ongoing process. Every team I’ve been on is different and I have played a different role.
As a coach I continue to learn and grow and work to find ways to build strong teams and emphasise to players the importance of team. We spend time off the court getting to know one another, understand one another, and in turn hopefully believing in one anther and in the importance of team.
WRITING PROMPT – OPTION 1: Write about being part of a team. (it doesn’t have to be a sports team)
WRITING PROMPT – OPTION 2: Write about something you are proud of.
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: Together We Are Strong
We had basketball tryouts this week for the high school team that I coach. We pushed the girls hard for three days and I was so impressed with how they responded. Most of the girls, including many that had never played basketball before, and perhaps never been terribly active, didn’t give up even when our conditioning coach put the hammer down. It was awesome to watch these young women push themselves and discover what they are capable of. The mind is a powerful thing and in just three days I hope that some of these girls learned that they are stronger than they ever believed.
A lesson in life, as well as on the court.
What was even better to see than the tenacity on the court, was the girls supporting one another through the tough workouts. There were last […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Make Time To Read
It’s my job to read. When you are a writer, it’s important to read, to study your craft. Right? For sure!
That’s what I remind myself of, and tell my husband, when I sit down to read a chapter or two during breakfast and the dishes are overflowing and the laundry sits unfolded. I have to eat, so it’s a no-brainer that I should use this time to read. The only problem is one or two chapters can easily become three or four or five or more if it’s a good book, and unfortunately I don’t have time for that, it’s basketball season.
So, even though it’s my job, and I love to read. Often I have to delegate a certain amount of time and stick to it otherwise, though I would have a blast, nothing would get done. But […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Choices
Sonya Elliott EWU 1988
What makes us gravitate toward different likes and dislikes? What makes one person love to play the piano, others to love to knit or ride a motorcycle or read, or for some of us to love to play basketball? Is it just within us or are we a product of our parents and our environment? Sometimes I wonder.
Take me for example. Why do I love to play basketball? My parents didn’t play, I had no influence to take part in the game. I simply goofed around in the driveway with a basketball when I was young, watched a couple of college games in Montana and then years later tried out for our middle school team because I wanted to, and I have been playing ever since.
Even when I play badly or get beat up, I’m still drawn back to […]
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