Monday’s Pen to Paper: Good-bye Perfection
Sometimes I get stumped by perfection. Let me explain. I used to be a perfectionist. You would never think so if you saw me now. I have learned to let it go…sometimes.
When I was young, my room was clean, everything had its place. In high school (even in math class) I would rewrite my homework before I handed it in because I wanted it to be neat. I know, crazy right? Like I said if you saw my house now, you would never believe it.
I have slacked, but that perfection instinct is still there. For example, on our family vacation to the east coast last month, I was planning to keep a journal. I wanted it to be perfect. Daily journal entries with impeccable handwriting, and since my photo albums are all digital now, I was excited to add brochures, metro passes and ticket stubs too.
I had planned to write everyday, that didn’t happen, so I wanted to just drop it, not keep a journal of our trip. “Sonya, it doesn’t have to be perfect,” I told myself, “It’s just for you to look back on, remember this time with your family.” I made myself jot notes when I could. My writing was messy, real messy. I wanted to stop. I fell behind and my ticket stubs, metro passes and random papers were piling up. I wanted to throw them in the garbage. I made myself toss them in an envelope.
“They don’t have to be in order Sonya.” I reminded myself.
On the 4th of July (after our vacation) when I was waiting to pick up my daughter from the ferry dock, I wrote and wrote. It was sloppy, but I finished detailing our trip. The next day I thumbed through papers and […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: The Best Basketball Story Ever
You don’t have to love the game of basketball to love this amazing story of young man’s inspiring night on the court. Jason McElwain, a manager for his high school basketball team, who is autistic, was told he could suit up for Senior Night. When his coach gives J Mac some time on the court, just take a look at what happens…
Follow this link to an inspiring story that will amaze you and bring you to tears.
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.
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.
Blog
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Follow
I just figured out how to follow or subscribe to a blog. That may seem a little CRAZY as I have been writing a blog for several years now, but there you go. That is my computer savyness in a nutshell. I don’t really know what the hell I’m doing, I just stumble along and figure it out as I go.
I’ve never really had the desire to follow blogs, because frankly, I don’t have the time. My inbox is currently at 3352 unread messages (I am not kidding here, I just checked). Recently however, I have been interested in keeping up with a few blogs, but I can never seem to surf my way through the interweb on a consistent basis to find them. And when I go on-the-line, (anyone getting my movie references here) I’m usually […]
PeaceLoveBasketball Friday: Attitude Is Everything
During the summer my daughter is often a sub for my basketball teams. A couple of weeks ago, she played for one of my teams that she’s never played with before and after the game she climbed into the van and said, “That is the least fun I have ever had playing basketball.”
I agreed with her. (well since I’m old there may have been a few times in my life that have been worse, but it certainly hadn’t been fun.) What made the game bad, is that there were two women who complained the whole time and basically barked out orders. Nothing my daughter, or any of us did, was right.
The overall energy was negative. I could feel it, and as a 17-year-old playing in a women’s rec-league, my daughter could really feel it. I thanked my daughter for helping out (we were short players) and assured her that she wouldn’t […]
Monday’s Pen to Paper: Me Time
Check out my friend Jenny’s article on summer. Take some time with your kids, but don’t forget about you!
Summer Isn’t Just About the Kids.
WRITING PROMPT: Write about things that are important to you. Things that inspire you, revive you, fill your cup…
Follow Sonya