Dear Coach,
Mid-season is upon us, and we are in the thick of it.
The excitement that kick-started the season back in June is fading. The spark of competition from August is dimming, and long hours have evolved into even longer days. This is the grind. The mid-season grind and coach, it is tough.
At this point in the season things are getting real. Our family’s daily routine is established, but the well-oiled machine that I constructed at the beginning of the season now needs some WD-40.
The daily gears are chugging right along to make the machine of our lives function, but they are beginning to rust and stick. I get weary from being the only one available to answer homework questions. My patience for the day-to-day with “tween” siblings is running quite thin. I get frustrated because I can’t find the time to get a workout in when I need it. Then, there are days when I look at the pile of laundry or the sink full of dishes and throw my hands up and walk away from the mess. Those gears are grinding hard, and so am I.
My heart is grinding away, too, Coach. I keep reminding myself that our time together in-season is about quality over quantity and that the coaching life romance looks different. The few minutes each day that are just us, when we can truly see and hear and feel each other are some of the most valued portions of my day.
By mid-season, my love-cup is half empty and, though I genuinely understand all things football, selfishly, I want more of those precious moments to fill my cup. I miss you, Coach. There is no other way to put it.
Please know that your mid-season grind doesn’t go unnoticed, my man. You are working endlessly, and I see it. I see the exhaustion in your body and the tiredness in your eyes when you walk in the door 14 hours after leaving for work each morning.
I recognize the familiar looks of “I’d rather snuggle with you on the couch, but I have to grade this film” and “I really wanted to go to his little league game or pick her up from dance, but practice ran late.” I see it all, and I know it is tough on you. Your efforts are valuable, and your daily grind is appreciated more than I could ever say.
The mid-season grind is one of the parts of coaching life that those outside our world cannot fully understand. It’s hard, but I am so grateful that we are a team. We choose to tackle each season together, and there is no other way that I want to spend my life than being your forever cheerleader.
I will take the mid-season grind and any other grind, any day of the week, as long as you are my teammate, Coach. I promise to dig deep and push through this grind with you.
We grind together.
We shine together.