Don't Let Perfect Become the Enemy of the Good

 So, about that rink update I mentioned the other day...

To be honest, I was disappointed. I mean, we built the thing twice. But I didn't get more than half the rink covered with actual ice, because I know there's a leak somewhere that's keeping it from filling properly. It sucks, and I hate it, and I was giving up for the year with promises to get it right next year.

However...

My son Tanner, to his credit, really, really wants to learn to skate and play hockey. He's never done either one, and he insisted that we could salvage the rink. And he was out there last night and this morning, shoveling off the part of the rink that had thick ice, slipping and sliding as he did so, but not giving up. So, I went out to help him, and wouldn't you know it, we did in fact clear off one side of the rink, and the ice is holding up. So, it's only half a rink, but it's better than no rink.

As I said, it's only half a rink, but as you can see, at least it's the full length of it. It's about twelve, maybe fifteen feet wide, so he's not going to be doing much turning, but he can start skating now. And once we'd cleaned it off, he got his skates on and gave it an effort. At first he could barely push off and keep his balance, but within twenty minutes he was doing much better. Big brother Ashton got the net out of the garage and put it on the ice, and as you can see, he's already practicing with a stick.

I don't have expectations that he's going to make the NHL (assuming it still exists in a decade), but I'm very, very proud of him. He reminded me of a very important lesson, one I should have remembered myself. When you insist that everything has to be just so, you often miss the good parts of what you've already accomplished. Tanner had a goal, and he made it happen.

We flooded the ice tonight so it can freeze overnight, and he'll be back out there tomorrow afternoon after mass. And once he gets the hang of skating, maybe his old dad will climb back in between the pipes and give him a target to shoot at. But no matter what, we both learned something important today.