#AtoZChallenge: K is for Kickass Kindness (to go with #gratitudeandshit)

stormtrooper mirror 2018 photos antique store — This one should be a country music album cover.

I mean …

AtoZ2019K We do #gratitudeandshit around here. Why not #kickasskindness? Kindness kind of gets a bad rap. Like, me, in middle school, when someone started the rumor that I curled my hair. Psh. It spreads like wildfire. Or negative Yelp! reviews.

Anyway. Kindness.

People equate kind with weak. But that’s not always so. That’s why I like when one of my players trucks another player then helps her up. That’s sweet, right? It’s like, not in my neighborhood, !@#$!, then, you okay, sister?

I’m grateful when my girls and players stand their ground.

I’m grateful also when they joke around after absorbing a 10-1 thumping because, you know, sometimes that’s just where you are. I need to remember that. Kindness is both holding them accountable for their effort but showing mercy after their results.

Deep. So, what am I grateful for this evening, as I’m up way too late writing this?

girls onesie 2019 smiles target — Most of my girls (and most of my daughters) will tell you this applies to them.

1-Having a season to have to figure out. It’s been trying at times. The girls say they want me to be angry, but it’s not natural for me. I’ll use spring break to find a middle ground. Above all, I love those girls and want the best for them.

2-Coaches who explained soccer to me. I once was just a sportswriter who needed to learn soccer – fast. Madison had just started playing, and in her second season, I was called on to coach. High school coaches taught me the basics after postgame interviews.

3-Ann Handley. I have a pocket of email exchanges with her. We met at Digital Summit. She’s a living legend and our conversation is the equivalent of me getting to converse with John Wooden. Meeting her was up there with when Camdyn wrote a guest post.

me ann handley digital summit charlotte convention center 2018 — I learn lots of stuff about words from Ann Handley’s writing. And about being cool. I want a jacket like hers.

4-Conventions! The Unspam Conference was a retreat. It changed my life. I also got to attend the ACN International Convention recently in Charlotte. I’m headed to Dallas at the end of the month for Success University. I love learning almost as much as I do pizza.

5-When the awesome happens in my steps. I walk miles and miles every day. Some are easy. Some are not. I feel tired and worn at the end of a day, but joyful. Not only because of the end but where I wound up taking the steps.

6-Courage to try something new. Many of my tried and trues have become discarded and used. This goes for mindsets, sweater vests, and people pests. My lineups and to-do list are written in pencil for a reason. I have an eraser and ain’t afraid to use it.

virginia football belk bowl winners bank of america stadium — I got to see the football team from the school that won the Final Four win a bowl game in Charlotte. Catch that?

7-Fountain soda. Let’s be honest. It’s the drink of the Gods. Eros filled up on Coke Zero before battle. Lovely Demeter downed a Pepsi Max just before the harvest. There’s just something about the pure goodness of fizzy bubbles from the QT drink machine.

8-Pizza with parents after a match. You never know who will come, but you leave the kids to their own noisy crowded table and you break bread (or pizza crust) with the parents. It’s a good chance to catch up and let them know who’s teaching their kids.

9-Resilience in the face of disappointment. It’s not easy to detach ourselves from outcomes. The heart wants what the heart wants. Love, victory, tacos. I’m grateful for an ability to sigh (a powerful tool), say, ‘oh well …’ and move on. And upward.

camdyn desk christmas construction home — Camdyn didn’t need much help putting together the desk she got for Christmas. So mostly I bothered her.

10-Peaceful, powerful runs. Spring in the Carolinas, if you can avoid choking on pollen, is so perfect. The sun warms the cool air and you’re left in the in between. You dig in, nail your goals, and maybe pick up a fountain soda on the way home.

What have you been grateful for today?