Ritual

Here is my morning ritual, currently. I attend to these things in the dark, 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning. My journal in the upper left - write a page or three; my coffee - I could not begin to function without it.
Bottom right - Poetry by Hafiz. Probably my favorite ancient poet. Here is one of the many of my favorites:

The Sun Never Says

Even after all this time
the sun never says to the earth,

"You owe me."

Look what happens
with a love like that,
It lights the whole sky.

And the other book is a new book in readying for the upcoming basketball season. Reading Phil Jackson is rather like reading scripture, or the Tao, or Thich Nhat Hanh, or the Buddha, rather than a former NBA player and coach who won 11 rings over the course of his storied career. He has it all figured out as a coach. When I read this passage, I thought, yes, this is exactly how I coached and talked to the girls last year, and how I'll talk to them again this year. It's the only way I know how:

That's why at the start of every season I always encouraged players to focus on the journey rather than the goal. What matters most is playing the game the right way and having the courage to grow, as human beings as well as basketball players. When you do that, the ring takes care of itself.