The First Boat Ride

We took Elliott on his first boat ride today. At first, the rocking boat provided better sleep therapy than entertainment, but after a 45 minute nap, Elliott was ready to drive. We figured he would take well to the water. He treats bath time like the Olympic swim trials and he demands more time at the other end of a running hose than our marigolds. But the lake was just too big a pool of water. As you can see in the photo, he braved it for a minute with me, but it was a very hesitant minute and he was definitely more thrilled to exit than water than enter it.

I was thankful to have the time to spend with Elliott and Katie on their first official day of summer vacation. It was the first time we've been on our boat in well over a year. I think the trip will prove inspiring and we'll use the boat more on the lake than we did down on the coast.

We made it home in time to watch the last nine holes of Tiger Woods winning his 14th major. It was probably as entertaining a golf tournament as I've watched in some time. It wasn't the best golf, but the most viewable. You get the feeling when you watch Tiger that you are witnessing someone who is the best in the world at what they do. That's better than a lot of people. In fact, he may be the best in history, which covers a lot more people.

But it wasn't Tiger I enjoyed watching. I've seen plenty of his vicious assaults on perfection. It was his opponent Rocco Mediate who demonstrated the class in competition that I hope will be the kind of example my kids choose to follow. Athletics are too saturated today with individuals bloated on entitlement and void of appreciation for their God-given talents. Appreciation spilled from Mediate today. He was quick to recognize his opponent as the best player in the world. He was quick to recognize that he gave all he had in an attempt to beat him. He used his time in the spotlight to offer gratitude, not empty excuses. Don't get me wrong. I'm a big Tiger fan. It was just nice to witness him bringing out the best in an opponent, both in their game and their character.

Forget my kids, there are many seasoned veterans in sports today that needed to be tuned in to this playoff.