Whether it was relaxing and you just enjoyed the fact that you didn't have to be at work or running from appointment to appointment, or you had a really great time with fun people that you wish could keep going, or it was just productive in a way that brought a lot of satisfaction (or anything in between or otherwise) sometimes heading to bed Sunday night signals the end to something great and the start of something you'd rather put off.
I had a weekend of that sort, but I'm recognizing that it transcended deeper than just having a good time - I had a great time doing something I love and need to work to build into my life more.
This weekend I had the opportunity to be an assistant coach for two teams at the Region II Regional Showcase in Rockford, IL. We left early Thursday morning, drove out and checked into the dorms we were staying in at Rockford University, then each team had a game that late afternoon/evening. Friday each team had a game and a training session, Saturday each a game and a Coaches Panel to attend, then yesterday each had their final game of the tournament. We had some rough patches but overall the tournament went well and I think both groups enjoyed themselves.
Two of the guys I coached got selected to stay over for the hold-over camp where the Regional Coaches look to pull the best from the entire tournament into a Regional Pool to work with and develop more and to choose to move on to higher levels. I was excited for both of the boys that got to stay and am hoping that they enjoy the rest of the week while there.
I learned a lot this weekend – about coaching, about myself as a coach, and how to better guide the players I’m working with. One of the major things I am taking away though is personal – I did not want to come back yesterday. I wanted to stay and continue to coach and work to help the players and show them the game and stay in that environment. I’ve always played and loved soccer and was never sure that I’d enjoy coaching but I did and I’m realizing as I get more and more experience with it that I truly do enjoy it. My takeaway is that, and through that a decision for what I want to do next – continue my education in a sports-psychology related degree and work up in more and more coaching jobs. I think I can see myself thoroughly enjoying a career of coaching – I would love to find myself with a program of my own at the college level in the future when I have gained the knowledge and experience to effectively run one well.
It was another weekend where Monday was a wakeup call, but this time I’m trying to take away a lesson from that wakeup call and mold my life to be made up of what made this weekend so great and not have to worry about waking up Monday morning to go back to the ‘real world,’ because my real world is what I want and makes me happy.
If there’s anything I’ve learned for sure about adulthood so far it’s that nothing ever goes exactly as planned, so I’m sure there will be bumps in the road that I can’t even imagine yet, but I’m hoping once I get moving on this path I’m able to find my way and never stop moving, no matter the forks I hit and the changes in direction it takes.
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