I don't think I've ever seen a more intimidating person in real life.

I'm at the baseball pitch and

it's a hot summer day. My attention is grabbed by this giant of a man standing outside the fence.
He's got to be at least 6'6", and has arms that are thicker than my thighs.The "outfield wall"
barely comes up to his waist. Picture a UFC fighter, buzz cut and all, but in cowboy boots and a
black tee. He's got my full attention because he's yelling. I'm not physically capable of
accurately mimicking his voice, but just know that it was really low and really loud. He sounds
like a drill sergeant yelling,"RUN Dillion! RUN!!" This t-ball. It's pre-practice warmups. His son,
Dillion is four, and when he runs the bases dimpled cheeks jiggle.

You meet all kinds of parents and kids when you coach t-ball and soccer for 2-5 year olds.
There's the parents like Dillion's that are hard-asses and certain that their superior athletic
genes will be apparent in their 2 year-olds first day of soccer practice. Then there are
grandparents like Caleb's who always help me clean up after practice, even though it takes
longer when they are helping. Or there are parents like Hazel's mom who carved out an hour of
her workday each week to come watch her daughter play, and was in tears one day when she
was late to practice (yes she was actually crying). But it's not the parents that make me push 70
in my rattling minivan heading north down highway 49, just so I can get to the field extra early to
set up a new game. It's the kids. They're the ones that make me question on a weekly basis, is
this a real job? Should I really get paid for this? The ones who give me notes and drawings. The
ones that ask me questions that I have no idea how to answer. The ones who give me hugs
after practice. The ones that are covid-babies and hilariously don't know how to do social
interactions. The ones that are growing up in a non-English speaking household, but still learn
to say "I love you" in English to me.

Kids are full of life and love. Some more shy, others more social, some more emotional. While
their personalities differ, I've found kids, especially toddlers, are often kind, honest, and
generous little humans. Despite my exhaustion after a full day of coaching, I'm often smiling as I
drive back south on highway 49 at a safe and sane speed of 65. Kids are a breath of fresh air
into my life where I'm too often stressed about my career, future goals, finances, and heaven
forbid, living out my purpose. These kinds of things don't matter to a kid. Hazel's more
concerned about trying to hold Enrico's hand during practice. Dillion's trying to understand why I
said he can't put dirt in his pants, and Noah's trying to pick all the white clover flowers and to
give to me. I can say with confidence that the last thing on their mind is finding their purpose,
and that's what I love about them.