Go Have Some Fun

Sunday pond fishing

My youngest child is 9 yrs old and this is his first time to play on a football/soccer team.  Before his first match a couple of weeks ago he was feeling a bit anxious.  On our way to the field he was being very quiet and looking down observing his shoe laces when looked me in the eye and asked me if I would be mad at him if he did not win.  I felt a jolt of surprise that he would even consider my reaction to be anger if he lost playing a game.  It took me a moment to compose myself and try to understand why he would think such a thing and then I remembered, our house rule; it is ok to mess up if we are trying but it is not acceptable if it happens because we are being a slacker.

After school practice

I close each blog with: “Go Have Some Fun”  I was wondering when I began using it and where it came from so I did a search of my post and found that the first time I used it was when I was writing about how to navigate a buffet and not gain weight.  Just thinking about touring the full lines of delicious delicacies puts a smile on my face so I immediately understood where the phrase came from.  The joy of living a carefree life regurgitated the phrase from my emotional being.

Donya and Phoenix on the path to the beach

Hilton Head Island is similar yet different to Koh Samui.  They are both vacation paradise destination with tourist frolicking in the sun and sea.  HHI offers a network of cycling and jogging paths that thread throughout the island.  Riding a pushbike without the worry of sharing the road with motor vehicles is a very care free experience and I find myself smiling and whistling tunes of joy as I peddle the byways of Hilton Head sharing pleasantries and greetings with all the passer bys.  Some of the people are riding sleek modern speedsters, others are peddling beach cruisers and mountain bikes many of the riders are fit and others are far from it yet the common denominator is; we are all having fun.

Popee and Phoenix at the Putt putt



ready to ride

The older we get the more our bodies break down. 
That is the fare we pay for each day on earth.  How we use our time is totally up to each individual and how we perceive the way we toil each day is also a personal choice.  I continue to preach that joy and happiness are a matter of perception and being happy is a choice as much as it is a right. The agony of defeat and the thrill of victory are the polarities that enable us to appreciate the emotions of winning and losing.

First Match and first day in Uniforms

The team Phoenix plays on is named the Dolphins; they had two practices before their first match and barley new each other’s names.  On game day the lads were dressed in their shinny new uniforms as they met the opposing squad at center field.  I stood on the side lines and looked at each boys expressions searching for a hint of fear or apprehension.  Most of my son’s mates had been in the league before and looked cool as cucumbers, the only child pale with fear was Phoenix.  After he told me he was afraid I would be angry if he lost, I managed to explain to him that winning was not the only reason he was playing.  I told him that I had no expectations regarding his skills or the game’s outcome. My only wish for him was to keep his head in the game and have fun.    At the end of two periods the Dolphins had put more balls in the goal than their foes and put a W in the win column. The boys were all smiles and it was easy to see they had gone out and had fun.

I suggest you do the same,

Go have some fun

Geo

Hilton Head on Dwellable