Sunday, November 4, 2012

among friends, a note about gym parents

It is hard to see it any other way: we have good friends.  And we got these people by happenstance.  Happenstance, geography, and wedgie picking little giants.  The condensed version is a time elapse photo of parents sitting on a bench in a gymnasium.  They come and go in staggered groups. As time passes a core begins to form, a group who tend to sit close together, linger, and laugh. You sit together enough times you share more than tired backs and score sheets.  And despite the diversity our lives become common to one another through our children's successes and struggles, in and out of the gym.    
 Our kids are best friends.
They are also each others closet competitors.
And biggest supports.
Until yesterday I didn't quite get the whole of what we had.  
We are lucky to be where we are: the gym, the owners, the coaches, our girls, and all of us.
Beach who scored a whopping 9.55 on Beam!!! had a beautiful bar routine, a great vault, yet another floor routine to die for, and took Gold in the All Around in her age group left in tears (again).  Despite the objects or reasons she attaches to the crying it isn't about 'things'.  She is decompressing and we have agreed that if she needs to cry after meets then she should but she should know why she is crying. 
Just as I should know why after 4+ hours of sitting on a panel mat on the floor, hungry, sick, and tired I would want to linger.  I like being among my friends.
I am thankful for the people who are GTC.

No comments:

Post a Comment