Monday, January 15, 2018

On The Fence

I’m on the fence about whether it’s a good thing or not for the NBA to cash in on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King by broadcasting a marathon of games on TNT today, but I’ll try to figure that one out while I watch the Golden State Warriors take on the Cavaliers of Cleveland.

Instead of sitting around the house watching NBA or surfing the interwebs today - or generally doing anything of service - I decided to take my children on a 5 mile hike to some waterfalls out by the Lewis River in SW Washington.

It was especially fun because my older brother came along too. And actually it is sort of a service for my kids, gave them an opportunity to get away from their devices and see the outdoors ... and spend time with their Uncle Pat!

I remember going to San Francisco, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge with my aunt and uncle and cousin when I was young. And I want my kids to have that sense of family and experiences that they can pass on to their families.

Now it’s halftime, and Charles Barkley and Shaq are talking like the Warriors-Cavs might be the best rivalry in the league. And yet maybe we won’t see either team in the Finals this year. There are a lot of good teams. In the West and in the East. OKC, Houston, Boston, Toronto ...

For my money, the best rivalry might be between my son and my daughter though. Over and over they are battling about who’s first, who gets the most attention, who’s the favorite. And that’s when it turns ugly. They argue about who can cover their face the best, who wears a hood better, versus hiding her face with her hair; who’s going to push who off the wall, into the drink; and who’s going to be the most annoying. Who gets the most attention. Who’s the loudest. Who gets to control the dog. And who gets to control me.

Me, that’s who.

I try so hard not to show any differential favoritism to either of them, I don’t think there’s any way I could love someone more that I do them. And it’s different, but not equal. I love them with pride, I love my son with satisfaction for doing an excellent job; and I love my daughter with fear - fear of a new school, fear of fitting in. But it’s even more than that, it’s love from seeing the results. And a fear of expectation. My expectations are high, but I hope for their expectations to be even higher.

So when I hear from my son that he thinks I take his sister’s side all the time in arguments, it breaks my heart; disappoints me.

Well, now the Warriors finally taken the lead in the 3rd quarter with a 3 from Curry, and we know it’s going to be all right. I still don’t know if it’s ‘okay’ to use MLK-day to sell a televised basketball marathon. But they play basketball on Christmas, and I don’t hear too many people at my church complain. In fact, that’s always something we look froward to. Just so long as the refs don’t play favorites.

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