Monday’s Pen to Paper: Perfect Plans
Technology and I don’t alway get along very well. I have been on a family vacation but before I left town I scheduled a couple blogs to “publish” on Monday and Friday. (I have made a commitment to myself to blog those days.) When I go on vacation I go off the grid, sort of. I glance at emails on occasion but almost never respond and I don’t pick up the phone. It’s suppose to be vacation after all.
This morning when I opened my commuter to write my blog, I realized that my scheduled blogs hadn’t posted while I was gone. It had looked easy enough. Schedule the date to publish and hit “publish”. Obviously I had done something wrong. So I hit publish a few times this morning, ran to work for a few hours and ran back for today’s Pen to Paper. I was not happy about this, but it’s times like this that I have to breath and just let go. (And then tomorrow make a phone call to some one who understands the in’s and out’s of WordPress.)
And once I let it go, I can think about writing. And remind myself that when plans don’t go as scheduled, I can just move on. Or better yet, grab my pen and write about it. Sometimes that’s where the greatest stories begin.
Writing Prompt 1: Write about a time in your life that didn’t go as planned.
Writing Prompt 2: Talk a look at the photo above. Now write…
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: The Little Things Count
I’ve been on my players about setting up their screens. Maybe it seems like a little thing, but really, it’s not. Not if you want the ball. Your teammate can set a perfect screen but if you don’t keep your defender engaged, give them a fake or jab away from the screen, and then use the screen by staying close, shoulder to shoulder, to rub your man off, then that beautiful screen goes to waste. Remember, it’s often the little things in basketball, and in life, that make a difference.
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Summer Write Time
Writing at the pool wasn’t bad. A dash of new energy. The heat, the breeze, my daughter, my friend, her daughter. All writing . (My son, her son doing everything but writing.) The beach towels, the water, and the smell of Coopertone. All reminders to me that summer has actually arrived. Bring summer into your writing life, or just your life in general. Hit the beach, pull out a sprinkler or slip-n-slide, or dive into a pool and let summer begin!
Writing Prompt: Diane leaned back into her lounge chair next to the pool, closed her eyes and dreamed of…
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Free Court Diagrams
As a coach I often need blank court diagrams to use when I’m drawing up plays. If you’re a coach looking for just that, there are half and full court sheets available on my website under FREE PLB, or follow the link below.
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: BUY in JULY
Support the West Seattle Girl’s Basketball program when you buy from www.peacelovebasketball.com.
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Good Fortune
This weekend we had a foreign exchange student from China. My daughter had asked if we could be a host, (she has been taking Chinese for several years and her teacher told her about this opportunity.) We were supposed to have a fairly quiet weekend, which is not common for our family, so I said sure.
Our exchange student brought us a beautiful red velvet decoration for our home wishing us good fortune but I was wondering if we were to have it, as our quiet schedule changed. My daughter’s basketball tournament got moved to the weekend, my son had one basketball game added to his schedule, so he had three games, I had two basketball games and my husband now had to leave town.
I was worried this would be too much for our guest, but to my surprise, and joy, our […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Badge of Honor
Every day this week, at the end of camp, my high school player/coaches chose a Ms. Hustle for the age group they were working with. In our final meeting each day the player/coach would stand in front of the campers to give the award, but before they awarded the camper with their badge of honor (and a Fruit Punch Gatorade), they would explain why the camper deserved the award.
All of the coaches included much more than simply “hustle” in their speech.
“This camper was an awesome listener...this camper worked extra hard in drills…this camper was alway nice and helped her teammates.”
The young player/coaches saw what I see every day. Hustle is very important, but hustle with a positive attitude…
That’s something to honor.
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