Interesting story from APK-Certified Coach Lorenzo Caro: I had an interesting observation while training today at the jungle gym. My daughter is playing around after class and I got bored, so I start doing some cat leap-type flow work along the outer panels of the plaything. I jump off and look over to check my bag and begin to notice that practically every parent sitting on the row of benches has their eyes fixed upon my general direction. Its a mixed bag of facial expressions, all seemingly negative. Some are overtly gawking, sharing a similar confused/disgusted look. Others are doing a particularly poor job of acting as if they are not staring, all the while looking equally uncomfortable. Im kinda used to this by now, but today something hit me. I had been judged, as a collective, by this group. While Im out there playing along with my daughter, theyre sitting. While I teach my daughter how to properly climb and jump, they are continuously telling their children to stop because theyll fall or its dangerous or any other variation thereof. Without ever having spoken, they have considered what I am doing distasteful. I have been deemed an outsider. Its not even as if theyre trying to hide it. The awkward eye contact or random hello says plenty. This time something hit me. Not one of these people ever bothered to consider my perspective, which is likely why they see me as they do. Here I am, 35, and in the best shape of my life, playing with my kid. Then I started to feel bad for them. Im here doing what I love instead of being off in some corner with the rest of the fold. At some point during all this, some kid walks up to me and asks what it is that Im doing. This has become a common question to which I always give the same answer, Same as you. Im playing. And as I play, I feel the same joy as my daughter does while she plays. Those parents sitting there do not understand this. They had long forgotten this feeling, consumed by doing what theyre supposed to. They look at me as if I should be sitting next to them. I look at them as if they should all get up and play, instead of yelling restrictions from the sidelines. Which viewpoint is wrong? I suppose that is purely subjective. All I know is that, in my eyes, Im on the fun side of that fence.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 03:34:31 +0000
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