Summer 2020: What Was Learned.

LET’S TAKE IT BACK OVER 100 DAYS AGO. It was Memorial Day, and in terms of the United States, it seemed as though everyone, mentally was over the Corona Virus. I was steady making that art, in my backyard, in my mind, with me already thinking that there was no which way that I’d be at the beach. 60 visits later, I live to tell the tale.
Enter Labor Day: Fall has come.

I just wanted to take this past Friday thru Monday to empty my mind, and reflect on the Summer that was 2020. There has been so many things I can be thankful, grateful, and happy for, with all this carnage coexisting. A few things I’ve learned through this respite of not officiating:

Patience.

I got to the beach every summer as often as I ref. Not this summer. In fact, these past few months were the first time that I’ve not blew a whistle on a field or court in almost 10 years. One day it will come back, but not today, tomorrow, or yesterday. I took this time to soak in the sun, to appreciate that I didn’t have to rush to get to a game starting at 6:15pm. Instead of being upset about what was absent, I was thankful for what was present.

Presence.

COVID-19 has given a heightened sense of your surroundings. And things are different. Yet, all of us try our best to take it in stride, to take pride in wearing a mask, to still have a human connection in spite of social distancing. I’ve learned to really appreciate those around me, when around me, and to really sit with the moments, and where you are at.

Creating Never Stops.

I’d like to Chiene Joy Jones for getting me out of my pandemic rut. It was late March, and I didn’t know how to angle Referee Rant when no one was reffing. Of course all these refs, out of work, still had stories to tell. That was nearly 70 episodes ago. She got me inspired, and I never looked back. I’ve been writing, reading, making podcasts, editing them, started a few camps, designed a few websites, and even started a Referee Magazine. Momentum is real, and it’s going downhill with consistency.

Among those, I Learned:

Tell people you love them.
Everyday is a new day.
Every negative, there is an opposite positive benefit.
Things can change at a moment’s notice.
You can only go as far as your mind takes you.
Vote November 3rd.