HOLD THE LINE

A game I think needs a seriously strong comeback is Red Rover. I'm sold that the divorce rate would drop, as would people's overall resilience to life and its demands improve dramatically if Red Rover were reintroduced to our young and took back its rightful place on the school grounds and parks.  

An unbreakable chain of like-minded and singularly focused teammates; or Id like to call it, A beautiful and crazy realistic metaphor for what a family really should be.  

Red Rover teaches all the core pillars that would hold up any family. It's a great game where you stand in a line linked arm in arm with your teammates while a rogue person runs towards you with the sole goal of tearing through your line. If your line was strong you would bear witness to the most satisfying display ever to grace the schoolyard. The opposing force that would try to tear through your line would just get destroyed by a solid co-team close line; planting the would-be cannonballer on their ass.

The sheer magnitude of this all too satisfying moment only would strengthen your line, allowing you the satisfaction of now jeering the opposing team and taunting the would-be assailants to send yet another victim to be tested by your all too powerful force.

Your team, or line; being tested and proven strong - linked arm in arm can now call out, again and again, beating any challenge and getting stronger with each attempt. The point of the game I always felt was to see how strong of a team you could build. (for the same reasons I believe dodgeball should be mandatory as a half-hour class taught in schools until the age of 18, but we’re going to stick with the Red Rover metaphor for now)

Family is like Red Rover. You have your LINE and you are only strong when everyone is LINKED. If someone isn’t holding on tightly to the line; you are weak as a whole, and you will be left very vulnerable to any opposition that comes at you intending to break you up. You may very well find yourself planted firmly on you your ass. Not only yours but because of your link and the weakness found therein, you held arm in arm will pull the rest of the line down on their asses with you. Falling as an anchor dropped at sea, a weak line, or rather a firm hold to a weak line is a problem for everyone.  

I’ll ask the question; How do you hold the line?  

First, you can’t hold the line if you and your team are playing different games. 

A family has to have the same goals; the same vision for its purpose. To have the same vision, you need the same priorities. If someone is disinterested in the game you have a weak link, if someone is dissatisfied with the goals of the game, you have a weak link. If you find yourself the only one interested in the activity, you have a weak link. The strongest links - the best lines have the same game in mind. You cannot have a strong line if everyone is playing a different game.

You’re only as strong as you have proven yourself to be. 

This is hard; it's harder if you are a parent, but you have to let the line be tested so that everyone who stands arm in arm knows they can hold the line. Everyone in your line needs to feel trusted and able to take a hit on their own. Take risks and allow others to be tested

You are never playing the opposition, the game is about testing the line, so work on your line, not the opposition. Keep your focus and your energy on how you and your line can be better, stronger, more confident, and let the opposition come. And trust your tested line. 

It's ok to get broken, link up, and rally for another blow. 

There will be blows. Your line will take hits. 

You’re not going to know how strong the line is if no one is trying to break through it; you only know how strong you can be if there is opposition. The goal of the game isn't to 'stay safe' the goal is to encourage the opposition, antagonize it even and provoke the challenge. Nothing is learned from standing still.  

Take your hits, learn from them. There will be plenty more.

It's not about you its about the line.  

Sacrifice is a big part of a line. You as a person cannot win Red Rover, you only win when the team wins. You can only win when the line holds. You are only a part of the line, if a part of the line is not attended to or is not encouraged or made to feel important, or valued as part of the line, you have no line you have a chain that will be broken. Regardless of how strong you are if you cannot find your place in the line you will lose. It’s about the line not you.

Hold on tightly and be worth holding on to.

Its not just about how firmly you can hold on, its just as important (if not more). that you can be held on to. When the test comes and there is a rapid force pushing against your hold; can the hand thats in yours know that your grip won’t give? Can you hold?

What is it you bring to the line? You may be willing to play the game, you may have all the above traits but are you as an individual part of the line worth being held on to? What do you bring to the table? Have you more weaknesses than strengths? Have you failed to develop as a well rounded participant in the game? Have you failed to learn the lessons taught to you by the opponents blowing through you weak hold on things? Do you doubt yourself? Are you one of those that blames the line for your inadequacies? Are you putting in your time as a 'part' of the line? We can hold on as tightly as we can - but can you be held on tightly to and be the anchor someone in our line needs? Hold on tightly and be worth holding on to.  

Hold the Line.