the Unexpressed Advantage

I played volleyball in high school and college. A lot of people don't know that, but once you've known me long enough, I usually end up talking about it because it's something that I'm pretty proud of. Unfortunately, when you've played volleyball at a highly competitive level, it can be quite frustrating to play at any other level. Most people think that volleyball is a fun thing people do at a picnic, but it's actually a very technical game. To play well, one can't get by on sheer athleticism or ability, they really have to know what's going on; both with their own body to perform the volleyball mechanics correctly and also in relationship to the other players on the floor. Volleyball can be like a dance, the whole team moves together in unity to create a successful outcome.

Softball, not so much. If you can swing a bat, run around a base, and catch and throw a ball you're pretty much going to shine out there (obviously competitive softball is different in the same way, but I never played competitive softball so I don't really notice the difference).

Anyway the outcome is that it's usually fun for just about everybody; it's even individual enough that competitive players can shine in the "picnic" environment.

Life is like this too. There are some things that certain people do really well, but mostly we like to gravitate towards environments where everyone can feel included and enjoy the situation for their own contributions and the combined effort of everyone.

So… …I guess that's good? Or Something? I'm not really sure what the point of this is. But tonight I said farewell to Josh and Grace (this link actually goes to a real picture of them, not them – google image search for "Josh and Grace"). They're on the right. On the left is Shannon and Lucas, who I said goodbye to last week. Farewell you guys. You'll be missed. Remember to play softball, and invite everyone.

DK (tired… filter off).