What you do with free time?

My time in Pleasant Hill has been extended. Home is where my heart is. I'm anxious to return to the streets of the Dominican Republic and to the sound of kids playing baseball and roosters crowing and my Dona announcing "La Comida esta lista!" or "lunch is ready." In my mind I was there just yesterday, but it's been several months now and I'm still keeping that patience as I wait for Washington to give me medical clearance for return. Meanwhile, home has found my legs churning miles along old running routes with the College Park High cross country team. I love to run and so I thought why not share some time helping to coach and run with high schoolers. However, I've realized youth sports are made way too competitive in America compared with that of Latin American countries. Instead of kids on the street playing catch with their neighbor with any form of weathered ball or hard round fruit they can find, parents have taken over the scheduling and creativity of good old child's play. Now there are rules, there are rule enforcers, there are specified venues where play is appropriate, and perhaps most difficult of all there is a price to pay if you want to play. Some parents say the streets are not safe so they prefer to take their child to those caged in sporting arenas. I'll tell you, the streets aren't safe because no one's out there. No one's playing with the kid across the street in suburbia, and in urban Oakland guns, drugs, and cars seem be instilling fear, and owning the young black boys free time before he can "make it safe to first base." An honest sandlot game of baseball, soccer , or even basketball are rarely just walked upon. I guess I just wish I could sometimes run out in the middle of a rain storm and know that the kids are enjoying a wet game of b-ball down at the local court. Kids get creative and learn how to have fun and work things out as a group when they engage in "child's play." From a coaches perspective I have discovered that athletes in my home town as well as anywhere in the world perform best when they are having fun. So I've chosen to enter practice with a smile on my face and the rest just falls into place.

This past weekend I joined the Varsity Boys squad for a 3 mile race in LA. They're a goofy group of 16 and 17 year olds who love to "slug bug" punch each others' 125 pound frames every time they see a Volkswagen Beetle on the road. They also asked for more all you can eat bread sticks after their three course dinner at the Olive Garden had sufficiently filled their stomachs. The thing is I remember living out those teenage days not too long so... I put up with it... and sometimes find myself shamefully joining it. I just want to be a kid... not ready to grow up and own a house and welcome debt.

The other side of sports (and the reason they will always be an exciting part of my every day) is that they bring such a competitive nature out of individuals that allow us all to perform at a higher level and thus challenge ourselves to perform our very best. It's so interesting to observe how this group of 8 goofy teenagers can focus in silence during their 40 minute warm up prior to their race, when during after school practice we coaches have to pry them away from fort building out by the eucalyptus trees so as to begin practice. It a balance of intensity and straight up fun loving attitudes.

In other activity on the Oubre front, my sisters are full of spirit, singing and dancing in the kitchen to oldies while I attempt to sing along and finish washing the dishes... the same dishes I swear I washed three hours ago. Sunday is always a day to go hear Mom read at Church and then retire to the family room with Dad to watch the improved San Francisco 49ers play fundamental football under coach Mike Singletary. I sometimes imagine if I were to go back 50 years ago and meet my grandpa from Louisiana during the volital decade of the 1950s in the South, he would be a lot like Coach Singletary on the football sidelines... no nonsense, intensely spiritual, and a "everybody listens when I talk" kind of guy.

So I'm excited my brother comes back to the Bay Area this Friday for a brief visit and then Saturday I'm off to trick-o-treat with my sister during one of the best Holidays of the year. I'm thinking maybe I'll dress as some scary green leafy creature because my dad and I have been generating plenty of green yard compost as of late or shall I straighten my hair and bring back Michael Jackson. Funny fact, the day I started feeling not so well in the DR was the the day Jackson died. That's coincidence or maybe that's saying something about my deep connection to the "King of Pop."

Have a grateful day, be silly, and get dressed up and get out on the streets for Halloween.

Peace,
Jared


Running buddies of the alma mater and me at Mt. Sac Race in LA


Celebrating win as a team