Even More When We Lose

When my coach and I were dating, I coined the phrase 

“I love you when we win, and even more when we lose.”

I smile now each time I tell him this. I don’t even know that I ever fully explained it to him, but here’s what I mean:

First, it’s always we. Especially when it’s a loss. As lonely as we feel as coaches' wives sometimes, I know that our guys feel just as lonely, and this saying is a way of reminding my guy that he is never alone. In the moments of vulnerability and embarrassment, it’s always we. When he feels unlovable because of everything else around him, I want to remind him that I still and always will. 

When the scoreboard shows a loss

When the community is up in arms about a tough decision

When a standout gets injured

When a guy you’ve been mentoring hangs up his pads

When you lose the big one

When the staff is asked to step down

When life at home seems overwhelming

When our own children feel left out

When there’s no gas in your tank at the end of the week

When the plays you’ve been installing just don’t work

When that alarm goes off at 5 am for the third time in the off-season

In the highs and lows, hell or high water, I love you when we win, and even more when we lose. It’s always we.