Breaking Stereo Type

Last night I went to a football game at our local middle school. I know nothing about football and I never go to games, but this one was special. A friends daughter is playing 8^th grade football this year and I wanted to be there to cheer her on. I was in awe of her determination to play. She had told her Mom it was something she really wanted to do and she knew that there would be no position she would fit in on the high school team, so if she did not play this year, she would never get the chance. She just wanted to play football, so she did.

I’m not sure what middle school was like for you, but for me it was horrible. Kids were mean. Middle school kids always seem to think they are a lot smarter and more grown up than they really are. Middle school kids also want everyone to act and dress the same, if you do not conform, you do not belong. Because of this issue, I was even more in awe of my friend’s daughter who did not care what other people thought; she was more interested in playing football than following the crowd. Very mature stuff for a middle school girl, don’t you think?

I have been thinking a lot about how often as an adult I am swayed by what others do and think. I spend a lot of my life trying to please the crowd and make everyone happy only to end up disappointed and unhappy myself. Here comes this 13 year old girl with the confidence and maturity to think through a plan and play football in spite of others and how they might think and feel. I hang my adult head in shame.

I asked my friend if the team had given her daughter a hard time and she said they had not. My friend told me as far as she could tell everyone on the team had been supportive of her daughter. The team supporting this young girl was a big deal too. Imagine her experience if she had not been accepted by her teammates. Another bunch of middle school kids breaking stereo type.

I learned yesterday that no matter how old you are you can change. You do not have to follow the crowd; you can break loose and blaze your own trail. You just make a plan, hold your head high and go for it. Sometimes when you look out over your sea of life all you see is endless time and you assume that you will be able to make a change later or follow a dream another day. But this mature young lady reminded me yesterday that you should never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. She also reminded me that determination and drive can be something anyone can have at any age.