Cheerleader

While I was watching the volleyball games this weekend, I was also trying to sort out some personal things. Tracy is going through some career issues and I was thinking about how to best support her. Then I went down that rabbit hole of how much this makes relationships work. What we really want is someone that will support us, be there when we need them. It isn’t just in the big things, like careers or moves or children. It is a lot of the small things. When I’m out on a motorcycle trip, Tracy can track me. She makes my motel reservations. When we had infants, we did all the parenting things as equally as we could. Tracy is working evenings now, so I have to do the chores those days that she usually does.

While I was thinking about this, I was sitting in front of 5 boys that were from the school on this side of the net. Whenever there was a point made they gestured their approval with the same gesture the referee made, a right arm pointing towards that team to show they scored a point. There was some slight approval smiles from the girls on the team. Right before my eyes was what I was trying to be to my wife, her cheerleader. Just like the song, but reversed. As the game went on, the boys’ gestures became more and more acrobatic. At each score, one of the boys tumbled or cartwheeled or shouted. With the increased support, the girls took more and more time looking at them and smiling broadly. I’m sure it felt good to get approval from classmates. Volleyball is sometimes forgotten, especially early on a Saturday morning.

So I’m gonna keep trying to be a good support for my wife. Also for my children. For my co-workers. I will do it because it is the right thing to do, and they are worth all the “cheering” they can get.