Andre and me

Good blustery morning....the wind is blowing and we are expecting some snow. This is a far cry from our lovely Texas weather....but we choose to live here, so no complaints will be offered except...burrrrr.....

And now, here is an update from Texas. The last that we saw our hero...he was very salty about being given the hook before he could completely close the game. In his mind, the coach  made a huge mistake. Ok, perhaps....but he does not control the coaches mind...unless he is an alien who has the capacity to take over a person's body, he is stuck with focusing on his performance and trying to change the coach's perspective.

On to last night's game....my new friend started the game and sadly he did not make it out of the first inning as 6 runs were scored before the second out. He was yanked and another poor freshman entered the game and gave up two more runs. After burning through the bullpen last night, it is obvious that Buddy will be pitching in this afternoon's game. In other words, the coach has no other options. And so, the game will be on the radio as I bring all of my lucky sneakers into the living room, hold on to my rosary, and have the box of merlot next to me....break in case of emergency.

Hey, I have no doubts. I think that I raised a kid with a killer instinct. How do I know? Well, we exchange a series of text messages this morning. Keep in mind that I have given him the Andre Aggasi book and that Andre's competitive nature is "off the charts." Well, this book may have been a mistake, because my son sees so many parallels that he now aligns himself with the tennis champ's state of mind. And as he admitted...it's demented.

As we chatted back and forth, he mentioned that dad and me had given him the killer instinct. Hmmm....really? Me? A killer instinct? I dunno about that one.....but perhaps....OK, let's go back to the days of tennis....yeah...I hated to lose and still hate to lose but I thought that I channeled that competitive spirit. Maybe not. I think that I am pretty relaxed but as my friend the Menopausal marathoner stated: "You are a type A person masquerading as a Type B." Perhaps she is right. I do have a bit of a heightened sense of urgency about certain things. But really...I passed on a killer instinct gene? Is this genetic? If so, what will my grandchildren be like as they hit each other over the head for the last popsicle?

And it is true that I had to compete growing up for a pork chop or extra mashed potatoes as I had to outwit the brothers and sisters. For example, we did not have a dishwasher and were not allowed to leave the house to see friends until the dishes were done. And so, I convinced my siblings that washing the dishes was the worst job, so I took it. Little did they know that washing the dishes was the best one, because I was done first and out of the house before they could say: "You missed a spot." Then once the dishes were dry, they had to be put away, table cleaned, and floor swept. I was long gone and hanging out with my posse before the first dishes were placed in the cabinet.

So, maybe the big kid is right....or maybe he is confused. Perhaps what he perceives as a killer instinct is a nature that competes with oneself to be the best person that one can be. Also, the professions that dad and I chose require a great deal of attention to detail. Therefore, what he sees as perfection is just attention to the minutiae of the job. Whatever it may be...perhaps he is right about one thing....his temperament was definitely inherited. I am not one to sit around and need constant projects and mental stimulation. It can be anything from a great book to errands, community work, and research.

Now, if he takes these attributes and uses them for good and not as a weapon, then he will be successful in anything that he puts his mind to in life. I am not saying that he needs all "A's" in school, but as long as he figures things out, uses his head for critical thinking and reasoning, goes to church, and helps the poor and downtrodden, then I have done my job.

With that said, it's time for me to get back to my job......

Have a great day....go team!