Have you ever been annoyed by a nagging feeling because something is eluding you or just out of reach? Maybe it is the name of a song you just can’t remember. Or perhaps a song you can’t get out of your head. Sometimes it is your kid’s algebra or where you put your car key.
That’s the kind of headspace I’m in with this whole “gap year” thing. Specifically trying to describe it with an analogy. Analogies are kind of my thing (in case you haven’t noticed). They’ve always come pretty quickly to me and I don’t know why (“I could always just play” – except instead of winning a Fields Medal I started a blog). This topic is different though. I can’t quite hit the right notes. Allow to do demonstrate.
First the facts for anyone coming into this cold. The Celtics won a championship about 14 months ago and were set up for years of high level contention. Then their star player (Jayson Tatum) was injured and is set to miss the next year. That means the team is going to be pretty bad this coming year, but in theory they could bounce right back to being a contender the year after that when Tatum is healthy again. So the next year is what is considered a “gap year.”
But how do I describe that in a creative and fun way? Here are some of my feeble attempts.
My kids are big swimmers and they have advanced through the different age levels that most programs split them up into. (8-and-unders, 9-10 year olds, 11-12 year olds, etc.) They drop time and compete with the rest of the kids in their age group, typically rising the ranks to be one of the better swimmers in that range. But then they have a birthday and instead of being a fast 10 year old, they are suddenly a slow 11 year old finishing well behind the 12 year olds that are just more physically mature than them. Most of that year is kinda-sorta like a gap year because they know it is going to be humbling and frustrating but the hard work will put them in a better position to compete the following year.
The problem is that that analogy is still sports related. I might as well have used an analogy of a redshirt freshman. And besides, winning at a lower level isn’t the same as winning at the highest level and then getting hurt and humbled.
So here’s another attempt.
Let’s say you are a high school senior (can you tell that I’m just looking around the house trying to find inspiration?). You worked hard on your grades and tests and the whole college application process. Finally, you got accepted to the university of your choice and you can let out a sigh of relief …and just sort of coast through the rest of your senior year (within reason). The plan, of course, is to buckle back down when you get to campus in the Fall.
Ok, first of all, getting accepted to college isn’t a great analogy for winning a title. Then taking your foot off the gas is a self-inflicted wound (see, the analogies are piling up on each other …like a big car wreck – I can’t stop). And the team isn’t trying to win at a higher level. They already reached the highest level, and now they just want to get there again. This is probably a better analogy for when the team has wrapped up a high seed and is coasting to the playoffs.
So that’s out too. Let’s try this.
Perhaps a gap year is like starting at a new job. You were either promoted or hired so there’s an achievement inherent in that. Plus, your qualifications mean that you have achieved some level of success before (either in school or at a prior job or both). But now there’s a whole new challenge where you need to learn a new environment, new co-workers, new policies and procedures, and just a new cadence to everything. I just started a new job and my favorite analogy is “I know how to cook, I just don’t know where you keep the pots and pans yet.” Eventually things will feel more familiar and I’ll be back to being productive in my new position.
This analogy might work better for a player getting traded and needing to adjust to a new life in a different city. But then you fall into the trap of comparing “normal” people’s jobs to multi-millionaires contractually paid to play a game.
Jayson went from winning an NBA Championship (and a Gold Medal by the way) to walking around in a boot and hours of grueling physical therapy just to be able to walk again. It is going to be a painful (literally) and difficult road back for Tatum. But when he’s back to full speed, the goal will be the same as it was before. That’s kind of what the Celtics will go through with him out.
That’s great, but this analogy is probably a little too literal and close the actual situation to be instructive.
When it boils down to it, this next year is just going to be a different kind of thing. At different times it will be frustrating, amusing, encouraging, confusing, and everything in between. Progress isn’t always linear and sometimes a step back is the only way to take two steps forward. The best we can do is buckle up and enjoy the ride the best we can and hope that the destination is worth the trip.
Or something like that. …I give up.
