Beau Knows Sports: Stay present
Mar. 6—After attending basketball practices and games all week, a consistent theme kept emerging.
If you read the stories in Saturday's sports section, you'll notice how important it is to our local basketball teams to stay in the moment.
These days, that's harder than ever to do.
I'm going to try and not go into a cliched rant about how we're bombarded with information every day, the internet is so distracting, etcetera, etcetera. However, I will say this — I read a Reddit comment the other day where someone was talking about how in their 20s, they were so obsessed with achievement and finding happiness, they "slept-walk" through their young adult years. They went on to say how they thought moving to a new city, jumping from relationship to relationship, going from job to job were all thinly-veiled attempts at trying to be happy with themselves.
You're probably wondering, 'How did we go from talking about high school basketball to an episode of Dr. Phil?' What I'm trying to say is, I think it's an important message these basketball coaches are giving these players. Next week, Camanche and Easton Valley will be playing in the Wells Fargo Arena at Des Moines. That is really, really cool. And I'll be there covering it! Hell, that's even cooler. Just kidding.
So while the players and coaches will inevitably be strategizing and game-planning and trying their hardest to win this week, I think maybe even more important than winning or losing is simply recognizing the gravity of the experience. These kids are doing something cool, and when they look back on these moments one day, hopefully they can all say they recognized just how cool it was back then, not just in hindsight.
Are you guilty of looking too far ahead? Or too busy getting stuck behind in whatever regret you can't change? Don't sweat it. Take some wisdom from our area basketball teams and just try to be present. Seems like they have it figured out. I have an especially hard time with this and it was really refreshing to hear these coaches and high school kids talking about just enjoying life.
There's more homework this week. Sorry, but you're just going to have to tell everyone you're busy. This week, make a pointed effort do something you enjoy and don't think about anything else while you do it. Just focus on enjoying it and see if it helps.
I promise this isn't going to turn into a wannabe Dear Abby column, but it's just kind of how it worked out this week. I'll be covering both games next week at Wells Fargo Arena, so stay tuned for some exciting basketball coverage.
I'll see everyone next week.
What I'm watching: Peaky Blinders (2013-present). British gangsters? Well, if their criminal activity is as good as their music, then I'm in. I love this show so far. It's on Netflix.
What I'm listening to: Past Masters Vols. 1 & 2 (1988) by The Beatles. I've had "Paperback Writer" stuck in my head all week. Essential listening.
Underdog of the Week: The Camanche and Easton Valley boys basketball teams. Both are underdogs at state. I've got my fingers crossed for upsets.
Quote of the week: "Life is very short, and there's no time, for fussing and fighting, my friend; I have always thought that it's a crime." — The Beatles
