Two Sides of a Coin

Simi and Asher had their first soccer games this past Saturday. They were both so incredibly excited about it. They had talked about it for days! Saturday finally arrives. When the day begins, it's roughly 60-70 degrees outside and sunny. Simi's game begins at 9 AM. I tell him to dress in shorts and a t-shirt and off he goes with Raj to the field.

As the rest of us are getting ready for Asher's 10:15 AM game, Raj telephones. It's freezing outside. Cold and very windy. Better dress more warmly.

OK, so off we go. We get in the car and drive to the fields. As we start out, drizzle begins to fall. Not a good beginning. As we get closer to the fields, the rain gets harder. By the time we get to the fields, it's a good soaking downpour. I look at the temperature gauge on the car (which is surprisingly reliable); it reads 40 degrees. Cold. Rain. Simi's playing in this weather. Asher, who is newly recovering from his latest asthma/allergy attack, is scheduled to play. Right.

As I tell Asher that he can't play in this weather, he begins to cry. He's so disappointed. He wants to play soccer so badly. I know how badly he wants to play. I'm dissappointed for him. I feel so terrible that for a moment I almost let him out of the car to go play.

The other part of me is thrilled. It's raining. That means the pollen - the thing that's causing Asher to be unable to breathe - is being washed away. It means relief from the asthma attacks. It means more energy for the Asher-boy. So what if he can't play soccer; he'll be able to breathe. We'll find some fun thing to do indoors.

Two sides of a coin. You just can't lose. Or win.

Simi, by the way, did great in his game. He absolutely loved it.