One Way United

We live on a hill and the traffic peoples put up one of those electronic speed detectors right by our house a few days ago.  Since then everybody in my family has had a little competition to see how fast we can gun it from our driveway to the speed detector.  My mom holds the record at 33.  I got a call from my dad yesterday right after he left to go somewhere to tell me he got a 19.  I was wondering why he was bothering to tell me this when he stated that “he was going in reverse.”  Oooo kaaaaaay.  Then tonight, at about 12:30, I felt inspired to run past it as fast I could.  Now my hill is pretty steep so I got a lot of speed going and went a 22!  My mom yelled a woohoo from her bedroom window.  Immediately after walking upstairs my dad, half asleep, told us he HAD to do that tomorrow.  Haha…fun times at the Rice household!  I’m going to be sad when they take that thing away.

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I had an epiphany while I was driving home from practice this evening. It was about control. More specifically, it was about the true essence of the phrase “being in control.” I have been a swim coach for two years now and the worst parts of being a coach is when you feel “out of control.” Sometimes, no matter how many times you tell a kid to do something, they just won’t do it. There are times as I’m addressing the group in practice when kids will start talking to their friends, a clear sign of disrespect. There are times kids are constantly doing what they are told NOT to do. In all those cases, I perceive myself as being “out of control.” I remember my first year coaching when I consistently had nightmares where all the kids were doing their own thing and nobody was listening to me.

Anyway, most of what I just stated is complete and utter crap because I was never in control to begin with!  When it comes to other human beings, I have absolutely NO CONTROL over them. I never have. I never will. God gave every person free will and we are all free to choose how we act, how we think, and what we do. Control, when it pertains to others, is an illusion.

So I have to redefine what it means to be “in control” and “out of control.” There is only one person in this world that I have complete control over. So, my focus should always be on keeping control of MYSELF. Being “in control” means that, regardless of the changing circumstances or situations, I can choose to not let those things control ME. As soon as I let my own behavior or thought processes become affected by a source not from within, I have lost control.

This is all not to say I haven’t thought or considered all this before. It’s just that sometimes these waves of wisdom descend on me out of nowhere and then familiar concepts all of a sudden become intimate ways to relate to the world. It’s like having a knowledge of how something works and then having an “aha!” moment where you gain a great understanding of it in one instant. God seems to do this a lot with me. It’s hard to explain.

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Where am I supposed to find the words to write about THE game?  It’s one of the few times in my many years watching basketball that I have been completely speechless.  Actually it might be the only time.  I don’t know what to say.  I mean, really, wow!  If you’re not a fan of the game, you probably think I’m loony tunes.  The Celtics theme for their season from day 1 was the African word Ubuntu which means sacrifice.  They sacrificed themselves over and over again for the good of the team.  You would have to watch this team all season to understand what I’m talking about.  It was the little things throughout the season that made it obvious.  It was superduperstars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce cheering on the bench players long after the outcome of the game was determined.  It was watching the star players routinely dive for loose balls, give up their bodies for charges, and kill themselves on defense during meaningless regular season games. If one guy ever fell down on the court there would be 3 or 4 guys literally running to help him up.  If there was one flaw in their game it was that sometimes they were too SELFLESS, sometimes giving up easy shots to give one of their teammates an opportunity.  Led by emotional leader Kevin Garnett, this team was pure PASSION, HEART, and SELFLESSNESS.  When KG won the defensive player of the year he seemed almost embarassed, inviting the whole TEAM on the court to join him.  It was never about one player, it was always about the group.  That is what made it such a joy to watch this team all season and what made last night so special.

Their opponent in the finals was the Kobe Lakers…sorry I mean the L.A. Lakers.  Kobe Bryant has long been known for his selfishness.  I don’t know the man but I can’t shake the feeling that he’s only been about one person…Kobe Bryant.  Kobe is often seen berating his teammates on the court when things aren’t going well.  One example was when he whipped an impossible over the head 180 mph pass into Pau Gasol.  After Pau failed to miraculously catch the insane pass he yelled and chastised his teammate.  Now which team would you rather play on?

Anyway, what made this game great wasn’t that the team-first Celtics won.  It was the way they won.  They demolished.  Dismantled.  Crushed.  The Lakers, who shot under 30% did not get an offensive rebound until the 4th quarter!  The Celtics where everywhere and they just coming and coming and coming.  They were up by 23 at halftime.  They kept the foot on the pedal.  They were up 29 after 3.  They kept coming.  Their lead ballooned up to 43 points as they took away the Lakers will.  They played so well they forced a team, who should have been fighting for their lives, to completely give up, running home with their tail between their legs.  This was the MIGHTY L.A. Lakers for crying out loud.  This was the team all the experts favored.  The team that Kobe was supposed to lead to victory like MJ.  The Celtics won by 39 points…in a Championship clincher!  From the 1st minute to the last minute, the Celtics played the best basketball I have ever seen.  The Lakers had no chance.  There was no way the Celtics were going to let themselves lose.  They were too hungry, had come too far.

I still don’t know if any of this makes sense or I’m just rambling.  For those of you who don’t much pay attention to the world of sports, just trust me.  This was one of the best basketball performances EVER put on by a team.  Seriously.

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