[2023-01-11] Make a contribution
When I was quite young, maybe 7 years old, my family would sometimes play touch football on summer evenings. We were 8 at home, which made for even teams of 4 on 4.
My older siblings were 3 to 7 years older than I was. My younger brother was 3 years younger than me. So he and I were often discounted: we were just too small and too slow to be considered a significant factor in the game. But our small stature made us easy to overlook and underestimate.
In one particular game, a member of the opposing team (my father or an older brother) had the ball. He was so focused down field—likely looking for a teammate to whom to throw the ball—that he didn't notice me until I touched him. He looked down in surprise to see a smiling little girl.
I played many games with my siblings over the years. It didn't matter that I wasn't as strong, fast or skilled as my brothers. They needed the players, and I had fun.
Baseball great Cal Ripken Jr., who holds Major League Baseball's record for consecutive games played, said this:
Get in the game. Do the best you can. Try to make a contribution. Learn from today. Apply it to tomorrow.
This is relevant to more than sports. The "game" could be school, work, the community. Don't let your size, gender, experience and—most of all—your or others' perceptions of your significance get in the way of making a contribution. The "best" you give today will be even better tomorrow as you grow, practise and apply what you've learned.
