“In the rush hour of life, running a taxi business in all directions, I always hear from my mother-in-law,” says my former colleague Diana, as we parents watch our boys at the soccer tournament. I have to laugh. Yes, as a parent you feel like you run a very successful taxi business. One child wants to go to judo, the other to fencing. Or like today for Philip, it’s time for a soccer tournament. During the tournament, Luis is asked if he could help out in the afternoon at the youth E tournament since four players are sick. Sure, he will. But where are his soccer shoes? At home. So, we get in the car, drive 22 minutes back home to get the soccer shoes, while Philip scores another goal and gets his first yellow card. Unfortunately, missed both. The taxi business must keep running.
“Why the yellow?” I want to know after our return. “I said ‘achoo’ loudly during an 11-meter shot by the opposing team when the player was running up.” Well, the referee calls it unsportsmanlike conduct. The pediatrician would argue for hay fever. And Philip himself? He takes the best from both claims and grins to himself. All this happens, as I said, while Luis and I drive 22 minutes back to the tournament. BP and Shell are happy. Now Luis’s soccer shoes are on-site and Philip’s tournament is over. And almost as if planned, there is a deluxe thunderstorm right after the awards ceremony. Lightning, thunder, rain, and thus (much to the delight of my car seats) the tournament is canceled before Luis’s game begins. During all the errands, I am in constant communication about schedule changes with another mother whose son wants to meet with Luis at our home later. From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., back to 3 p.m. and then staying at 5 p.m. And so, you move in the rush hour of life as a taxi business in all directions. The normal everyday life for so many of us. Even for those without children.
What I notice is that at the end of the day, it’s not all that bad. It’s just a game. So, the soccer game. Or did I mean life? Well, whatever. It’s the same anyway. It’s all just a game. You come onto the field, get into the game, and before you know it, this game is over and you leave the field. Then the next game comes. Same procedure. And the road that never ends goes on. In the game itself, you chase in all possible directions, score a goal, maybe an own goal, or get a yellow card for unfair behavior. And it’s still a game. With every minute of the game, you learn more. So, can you just have more fun in this game called life? Not just when the goals are scored. But right from the start? Because some teams only get up to operating temperature shortly before the end with increasing pressure.
Just like in normal life, many only come up with the idea late in life to do more of what really makes them happy. Just start earlier to follow your own heart with joy. Because at the end of the game, the team that has fun and joy wins, gets along best with each other, communicates well, and keeps the ball moving between players. All this only makes sense if you as a player eventually have the courage to take a risk and shoot the round thing into the square thing. Will you score? You’ll know when you’ve done it. What will the other players say? Absolutely irrelevant, because you are the one with the ball at your feet. What does the audience think? Even more irrelevant. Because if they had your courage, they would be on the field themselves and not giving you “important” tips from the sidelines while eating their stadium sausage and drinking their first wheat beer. Well, role models… Just be brave – today, now and here…in the rush hour of your life, while you feel like you’re going in all directions and make the decision for yourself to take a shot at the goal. Only by making bold decisions do you learn something for the next moves. And no matter how you turn it; it’s all just a game. My tip: Have maximum fun with it. Because it’s your game after all.
