I just learned that my grandson, Ryder, signed up to play basketball and study business at Ouachita University in Arkansas. Isn’t it interesting how good news about someone you love and care about is as good as when great things happen to you? It’s an honorable human characteristic.

As I write this, I am so happy, excited, and grateful for him.

The most excellent explanation for my joy is my memories. His opportunity to play for an NCAA D11 school was hard-earned. He has loved basketball since he could hold a ball in his little hands. He has spent more hours in the gym, shooting, running, and practicing than anything else he has done in his short twenty years of life.

When I would “babysit” him when his parent traveled, all he wanted and all I had to do was drop him off at the  NJC event center and pick him up 6-8-10 hours later.

On his “Grandma Trip” when he was thirteen, he wanted to go to TD Gardens and see where the Boston Celtics played. He spent his money in the gift store and bought a green Celtics basketball. He bounced that ball all over the streets of Boston.

He played for NJC when he graduated from Sterling High School, and I had fun traveling with his parents to watch him play in Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado.

He gives his best to each game and to his teammates. To say I am a proud grandma is an understatement. I’m not bragging; I had little to do with his athleticism. I’m just sharing my observations and feelings.

He models what it takes for any of us. When people ask me what he is doing next, I always say, “Basketball.”

He reinforces a good mental health guideline: “Love what you do, do what you love, and never take your eye off the goal.” Since he could barely walk, he has not faltered, wavered, or lost his drive and determination to build skills and become more proficient. The game challenges him, teaches him life skills, and requires him to accept rewards and recover from losses.

Several students in our area have also earned the honor to play sports of their choosing at colleges and universities, and they all make us proud. Whether it’s academics, athletics, or creative talents, it solidifies how much we can learn and how encouraging it is to watch young people get it right with and for themselves. We all want to do more than survive; we want to thrive. If we ever doubt it’s possible, look to the young people around us. We teach them, and they teach us. Doesn’t that give you hope and make you smile?

Until the next time: Live while you live.

Jennifer Goble, Ph.D., LPC, is the author of “My Clients…My Teachers,” and the blogger and writer of Rural Women Stories: www.ruralwomenstories.com.

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