good intentions

i'm finding that one of life's biggest daily challenges is expectations and how to meet them...or even having realistic ones.....perception is EVERYTHING and whether you are doing good or doing bad depends on not only your point of view but on the point of views of everyone else looking at you.  what one person considers success, another might consider only acceptable -and vice versa....what seems super motivated to me might seem like lackadaisical to someone else....its all in how you look at it.

this weekend has been interesting in several ways.....the first is that we had our first "real" softball tournament of the season....and this year we had to bump up a division - so the competition is a bit more steep...i only say a bit because a lot of teams who should play up in this division don't, because they dont have to....its just another one of those things that modern competition has created....we all want to be the big fish in the small pond..

anyway, several girls on our team did not get to play this weekend - and sat the bench behind a couple of players who we have picked up just for tournaments....again - we had to bump up - and in order to compete, we had some holes to fill.  but obviously the people who were already on the team did not consider themselves "holes"....its a hard place to be in....do you want to be on the better team and not play? or do you want to leave your team and stay at the current level in order to get your time?  or do you just not realize that you aren't ready for the better competition?  no one likes to admit that they are not "good enough" to play.  its all in how you look at it.....and its interesting to me because i (of course) feel like i'm pragmatic about it - so why wouldnt everyone else be?  its like all the people who expect their kids to get division 1 scholarships or play pro sports....i guess one or two are going to be right - but not the zillions that think it.  i KNOW that the only reason i am on the team i'm on (and can play at the level we play at) is because i pitch....i am in no way a good enough hitter to play at this level.....and i always tell my team that if they expect to win at this level then i better be batting ninth!!  its just the truth...i'm a decent hitter at best....but i am an above average pitcher....and i top out right where we are.....if this team has to bump up again, they will be looking to replace me too!!  its just about knowing your role and your place, and doing the best that you can with it.....

in much the same way, when it comes to trying to organize a large event, people need to play to their strengths.....EVERYONE has good intentions.....its trying to figure out how to mesh all of the people who want to volunteer with the best ways to utilize their talent.  and boy is that  hard.  its like asking 15 people who is the best speller in the room, and all 15 raising their hand.  everyone thinks their idea is the best, and their approach is the best....and you know what, they are all right....there is no wrong answer in how to put together a fund raiser - just a lot of different approaches.  so i find myself if the very unusual position of trying to put together this puzzle with no real knowledge of the players....just impressions and hope.....

The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.
Sarah Ban Breathnach

you know when you have something to do and someone volunteers to help - you immediately think to yourself "can they help??" - and depending on your answer (of course in your head) you either snap it up or politely thank them and say "i got it but thanks"....i mean lets be honest - the control freaks of the world only accept help when absolutely necessary anyway....and then only if they know whatever it is will get done FAST.....and we know who the "do-ers" on our circle of friends and acquaintances are......i got an email about doing a run down here on the same day as the one in rochester, so that our friends who wanted to participate didnt have to travel....we had a meeting 2 days later, and a minute after that the flier that you see above was created....DO-ERS are the key to the universe!!!!

so i am looking at a list of people and i have no idea who the "do-ers" are......and we have a really really short window to make this run-away event happen......it should be super interesting to see how this plays out....and i'm very very interested to see who the do-ers end up being....you know i love adding people to my list :)  i'm not sure how this all ties together except that its been a weekend filled with people who have a different impression of themselves than the one that other people seem to have OF them....and how do you reconcile the two?  i'm as guilty as the next person.... of course i think my way is the right way....and then you have someone point something out to you that you TOTALLY missed....and realize that everyone looks at things differently - and you need all of those angles to see the whole picture...

A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer.” - seneca

and then i realize that we are ALL do-ers....we just do things at different speeds and in different ways...the act of offering help in and of itself is a gift.....so i know we will figure it out....and i know that this incredibly crazy planning period will end up in a fantastic 1st event to honor Tiff.....as a matter of fact i'm sure she is amused by all the players trying to figure out how to work together - since she's the only one that knew us all.....it IS all about knowing your role....and my role in this is just to make sure it happens in whatever form or fashion we can....so that at the end of the day people have the opportunity to come out and celebrate Tiff's life, and raise some money to help find a cure for this terrible disease.

as always, i find my inspiration in the ROCK :)