What I am reflecting?
On Thursday, I came home earlier and waited for my son to return. After dinner, we stepped out of the house.
I remember looking up at the sky. It was glowing—orange, slightly yellow. It was around 6:30 p.m., not too hot, not too cold. Just one of those evenings that feels… easy.
My son was holding a basketball in his hand. Recently, he’s been very excited about it.
So I asked him, “What do you want to do?”
He didn’t hesitate.
“Daddy, I want to play basketball.”
It wasn’t dark yet. So we went.
We walked to the playground, towards the basketball court. I stood there catching the ball for him. Every time he missed, I passed it back.
He’s not very tall yet. So scoring isn’t easy.
But he kept trying.
And trying.
And trying.
After a while, he looked at me and said,
“Daddy… all of my shots cannot enter.”
I paused for a moment.
“Did we say all?” I asked him. “There was one that went in, right?”
He looked at me.
“So maybe the better way to say it is—most of your shots didn’t go in.”
Then I said,
“Try again. Never give up. You’re getting closer. Try again.”
And he did.
That evening, he scored 9 times.
Nine.
And I could see it—not just the shots going in, but something shifting inside him.
Confidence.
Belief.
A little more “I can.”
And it made me realise something.
Sometimes, people don’t need correction.
They need someone to stand beside them and believe with them.
Not judgment.
Not criticism.
Just simple words:
“You’re doing great.”
“Try again.”
“Don’t give up.”
Because those words… they stay.
I went there thinking I was just spending 30 minutes playing basketball. Getting a bit of movement, a bit of exercise instead of sitting in front of the PC.
But I left realising—
those 30 minutes might be something he remembers for a long time.
Not because of the 9 shots.
But because, for those 9 shots…
someone believed he could make the 10th.
Quote I’m pondering
“What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.”
Affirmation I used
“I choose my thoughts, and my thoughts shape my reality.”