Coach

My son's smile shines, in a photograph, standing out from the smiles of his high school track and cross-country team. Other photos of Dan showed him uncomfortable, afraid, tentative, or bored. When he played soccer, he stared into space, once being hit by a speeding ball. His coach said he lacked aggression and shouldn't play. In tennis, he was self-critical, swearing when the ball went out or hit the net. All that changed when he joined the cross-country team. Why? The man they called "coach" - Coach was always positive, never having a bad word for anyone. At the annual awards ceremony, he had something nice to say about everyone on the team and always had an amusing anecdote, as he recognized the individuality of each teammate. His message of camaraderie, positivity, humor, and most of all, fun, went a long way towards producing all those smiles, and most importantly to me, that of my son. What man could make them run three miles? It was his message, his approach. Find the frivolity, the smiles, the fun, in the photograph of the team and "Coach".