touching lives without asking anything in return is one of the most underrated things ever.
i've been "coaching" street soccer to unprivileged kids for quite some time now, and i must say at first i was skeptical on my commitment to the project, however you must take my role with a grain of salt as i haven't really done any "coaching" in the more technical sense. it started okay, it was my first time to deal with kids whom i have no personal relations with in a large scale, and by large i meant 20 kids. i am, for all intents and purposes, an introvert.
dealing with strangers drain me.
i remember my first training like some "in medias res" sort of deal, i was smack dab in the middle of everything, a new piece of cog in an already well oiled machine, being in the worst situation where everyone else are expecting you to perform like them, and at the same time, looking down on you. my first time wasn't exactly the best, nor was it something bearable, and that was one of the driving force to make a difference with these kids.
i wasn't exactly prepared, however.
i never bothered asking their names, i've always been a faces guy, and i've always held on to the belief that "if you matter, i'll find out your name", right now i at least know 3-4 names of the 20 or so kids, and those kids matter now because i saw in them what i failed to feel when i was introduced to football.
they were never taught anything, and when i tried teaching them, they wouldn't listen.
who can blame them? i was a timid coach and those two words don't go together. but not being taught anything didn't mean that they won't succeed nor have fun in playing a competitive team sport, they had something in them that my sheltered lifestyle won't ever yield... an indomitable spirit.
you can never teach heart.
