I am sure each of you who have children have at some point thought, “These kids never cease to surprise or amaze me.” And hopefully that surprise or amazement is a good thing! Last fall, my daughter, Taylor, tried out for the elite soccer team for her age group. The tryouts went well, but she didn't make the team. The coach said that Taylor would have the opportunity to guest play at some points in the season, meaning she would participate in a fraction of the games. In October of last year, she got her first chance to guest play.
While we were excited for this opportunity, the back-and-forth of which team she would be playing for each week was a little like a yo-yo as she switched from the elite team to her regular College Station team. By the time we made it to the summer, she was asked to join the elite soccer team on a full-time basis. We were thrilled for her.
Taylor trained hard all summer long, followed the summer workout program in the hot Texas heat, and was ready for the fall 2018 soccer season to begin. Her first tournament was actually in College Station. It went great and she scored a goal and assisted on many goals. However, over her first three regular season games, we noticed her playing time starting to decrease.
My wife, Taylor and I had no understanding to why this had occurred. My wife and I talked with Taylor and discussed that she, not her parents, would need to talk to her coach. At practice this past week, she worked up the courage to speak to him, and asked why her playing time decreased, what does he need to see her do to get more playing time, and what does she need to work on to continue to improve. To paint the picture a little better, her coach is a good coach, truly cares for her players, but can be a little rough and is known to yell.
Not long after this conversation, we all got to see "the power of courage." The very next game, when a player got injured, she was the first to come off the bench, considerably increasing her playing time. While it was just one game, I couldn't have been more proud of her courage to take control and accountability.
I know each of you experiences the "power of courage" when you take the time to talk to your patients about their health and eventually see it pay off. Thanks for encouraging our patients to live healthier lives, taking time to teach them, and just being a listening ear when they need it. All these things are a result of each of you having the courage to care for others, although at times it is not the easiest thing to do!
Talk soon,
Jason