Attitude is Everything

 

When talking about how people perceive others, we often notice the positive or negative demeanor (attitude put forth) quickly.  I preach that having a positive attitude can make such a big impact in your daily life and how you, and the others around you, handle every situation that comes up.  I recently was reminded of this when observing the interactions of a child.

Traveling around as the driver for our children, we are able to observe many different kids (age ranges 5-15) at sporting events.  Some kids are playing on teams, and others are filling the time as their siblings play on teams.  There is a lot to watch and observe!  And in the summer, days get long and hot and kids can become explosive and cranky.

During a hotly contested championship softball game for one of my kids, the rain began to fall hard.  After playing in it for half an inning, the umps finally called a delay.  The teams both retreated to their dugouts for a good 30 minutes.  When the rain slowed and almost stopped, our team emerged from the dugout to music and started doing a dance they often do after games.  Quickly, one player from the other team ran over, observed the dancing for about 20 seconds, then joined in with the group, watching and attempting the figure out how to do the dance.  The player had a huge smile on her face and was eager to learn and join in the fun.  Slowly, other players from the opposing team joined.

A couple minutes later, the umps returned and the opposing coaches called gruffly for his team.  Most players quickly ran to the dugout.  The music had not yet stopped and the lone original player with the huge smile from the opposing team continued to dance with our team.  When the music stopped, she returned to her dugout.

The game resumed, we tied it up, then went ahead.  The opposing coach argued several calls and eventually got tossed.  Parents from the other team also then go tossed for arguing calls.  It quickly got ugly on that one side.  Our team prevailed and the game concluded.

Teams lined up to shake hands and the lone dancer from the opposing team sprinted to be the front of her line.  Although her team had just lost the game and their coach and was the center of a lot of negativity, her smiled prevailed and she started that "good game" handshake line with a positive attitude that resonated through most of her team from her lead.

I don't know anything about this kid, other than what I witnessed during and after the game that day.  But I love her demeanor and outlook on life situations.  I'm sure she was disappointed that her team lost the game, but the way she carried herself was impressive for a pre-teen and I hope she continues to influence those around her, because that is the type of kid that I want my kids around.  Attitude is Everything.