Daddism #2:Carry it one hand under! Part 2

The story is told that on the first day of practice, John Wooden, legendary basketball coach at the University of California at Los Angeles, had all players take off their shoes and socks and put them on again while he and the coaching staff watched. If any player failed to put the sock heel on his own heel or to properly tighten and tie the laces, that player had to do once more.. And, it is said, he even had players drop off the team rather than conform to what they considered trivial and/or demeaning.
But Coach Wooden's point was simple: The Devil really is in the details.

Remembering to carry the tray one hand under is a detail, but one which can avert the disaster of a spilled or broken load, just as a poorly mounted sock can wear a blister or a poorly tied shoe can lead to a stumble at a critical moment.

I am not enamored of details. My handwriting is sufficient proof to those forced to live through it, and it has taken me years to learn what my father seemed to know from his gut. Now he also knew that it meant that he couldn't try to achieve as many things. Of course, when you work 60+ hours/week in the back of a bakery, it limits what other achievements you can expect. So he tried to do each of the tasks systematically and to learn and apply the basics well.

Almost every Sunday morning before church he would be doing his "book work," that is, bringing the accounts for home and the shop up to date, paying bills, and trying to keep things running. By doing it in those early morning hours when no one else was around, he could concentrate on the details and be sure of the accuracy of the outcome.

Life is always a compromise. And while I have not been as good as he was at paying attention to the details, my life benefits from those times when I pull back, ask what I really need to achieve, and then putting in the detailed work it takes to bring about a transformation.

There are many things I would like to learn and to do, but my father's example tells me that unless I can put in the ante of careful participation, I really need to think about whether playing that particular game is worth it.