I watched an extremely talented soccer team tie a game they deserved to win. The 13-year-old boys were winning 2-0 in the last half when they broke down a bit on defense and the opposing team of 14-year-olds scored a goal, making the score 2-1.
In the last couple of minutes of the game, a member from the opposing team launched the ball imprecisely from half field and it came soaring unexpectedly through the sun at the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper judged it wrong and it bounced over his outstretched arms into the goal. The boys tied 2-2.
The 13-year-old boys dominated the entire game. They completed more passes. They had more ball control. Their plays were superior. But two moments, just two, in which the opposing team had a glimpse of luck, suppressed everything the boys did well.
The boys walked off the field with sunken heads and the thought of the ball rolling across the wrong goal line weighing them down.
The worst part was the sight of teardrops sliding down the face of the thirteen-year-old goalkeeper. He looked away during the team chant and attempted to wipe away the tears as he went to high-five the opposing team. There was nothing he could do. The game was over and his one mistake cost the team the win. It was all his fault in his mind.
But what is lost in all of this, is that he will never reflect on this game and think about all the things he did well. He won't remember the 20 saves he had. He won't remember how his communication helped his defense. He won't consider how he constantly keeps his team in the game. He won't think about how he plays a vital part in holding the team together.
That one instance of misjudgment conceals everything he did right and serves as his defining moment of the game.
He also won't think about how his teammates don't blame him because they know they played a part in the goals against them. He won't think about how they know it wasn't his fault...that it's a team effort and everyone makes mistakes. He won't consider the fact that nobody will be talking about his mistake the next day because it really wasn't that bad.
The one unfortunate moment will be the one he focuses on because he is a good person. It will be at the front of his mind because the last thing he wants is to let his teammates down. He wants his parents to be proud and he won't settle for a good game. He wants a perfect game. That one mistake is so much more than just being scored on.
So, the goalkeeper, along with a lot of good people in the world, battled with the unfortunate as it tried to overpower all the things done well. It is in these reoccurring moments that only other people can highlight what good someone has achieved. It is up to other people to shine a light on the amazing things that get blocked by unfavorable mistakes. Never discard the brilliance. Bring it out of the shadows and don't give in to the weight of the unfortunate.
