In Respect’s brief but distinguished publishing history, I think this is the first time we have had sports stories on the front page two issues in a row. Two weeks ago it was the Alberta 55 Plus winter games, and today it’s the start of golf season.
If you’re not a sports person, especially if you’re not a fan of pro sports, this can be an annoying time of year. The Stanley Cup playoffs will consume Canada’s attention for an interminable two months, basketball playoffs are underway, baseball season is starting, and CFL camps open in a couple of weeks.
But spring is an exciting time for people who enjoy outdoor recreation. ‘Tis the season for golf, tennis, pickleball, gardening, boating, fishing, or just getting out and walking.
Life isn’t all about sports! We have plenty of arts stories too, including the Quilting Bees show, the Cold Lake Music Festival concert, and the St Paul Arts Council’s paint night for Ukraine relief.
People often see sports and art as opposite ends of a spectrum—one is about brawn, the other about brains. But they are more closely related than you might think.
For young people, art and sports teach the exact same life lessons: continuous improvement, responsibility to yourself and those you work with, self-discipline, and learning to understand success and failure.
For professionals, both art and sports can be precarious ways to make a living. You must excel, and you must be able to market your talent.
And as we mature, art and sports both offer us the rewards of activity, learning, socializing (or seeking solitude when we need it); and amid some inevitable disappointments we find the little triumphs that keep us coming back.
As seniors, our recreational outlets can give us something to do; but even better, they allow us to do the things we love. If we can share with younger people the lessons we have learned through a lifetime of activity, so much the better.
