The weather was fine at noon.
After lunch, I went for a stroll in the park.
At the park entrance, I greeted the security guard.
The security guard is not old.
I recognized him because last spring, my second child almost got lost while playing hide and seek.
I found this security guard to help.
The walkie-talkie was also quick; within a few minutes, he said he hadn't found him.
So I left and gave him my phone number.
A few minutes later, he called back, still without finding him.
In the end, my second child found us by himself.
I called the security guard back to thank him.
The security guard doesn't take a break during the New Year.
There’s no shift change; he just works his shift.
After crossing a small hill,
we arrived at a large grassy area.
The grass was dry and yellow,
just withered yellow grass that looked white.
My eldest and second child
formed a triangle
passing two sandbags.
Suddenly, an old man shouted for a little girl to come kick the ball.
We looked around,
and estimated that only the eldest could be considered.
The old man waved at us again.
The eldest said he couldn't kick a soccer ball.
The old man said he couldn't either; he was just playing.
Both children ran over.
The old man said he had a bit to drink and let the two children play.
He said this soccer ball was brought back from Japan.
I took the two children
to pass the ball.
The second child couldn't do it.
I said to use the instep for accurate passing.
The old man said no need for guidance,
just let them play.
I understood directly.
Interest is the best teacher;
you need interest to succeed.
If you start with a sense of frustration,
how can there be interest?
Although the approach might be wrong,
just like the old man with the sky hook on the basketball court is also amazing.
The old man said he was a children's soccer coach
who just returned from Japan,
which piqued my interest in chatting.
I asked the old man which sports university he graduated from.
The old man said he didn't graduate from any university.
I asked how long he stayed in Japan.
The old man said about four months, he returned before the New Year.
I said it was for the kids in Japan, right?
The old man said yes.
He is a soccer coach and just plays with the kids.
The old man took out a Japanese musical instrument that can change sound, similar to a whistle.
The instrument made a sound similar to a small ceramic bird that makes noise when filled with water from childhood.
I thought this was a training whistle.
The old man said this explains that soccer and music are the same;
communication without language is also possible.
The old man said playing soccer requires thinking.
I said playing games does too.
The old man said he doesn't understand games.
I said competitive games are all about the differences between milliseconds.
The old man said in soccer, a second can change everything.
I said yes.
I remembered the moment when Tracy McGrady turned around a deficit of eight points in 35 seconds.
The kids called me to play again,
so I ran over.
Both kids had already taken off their jackets.
The old man loudly said that the kids would probably sleep well tonight since they were sweating.
After about half an hour,
my wife felt too cold; she was wearing leather shoes.
Then we said goodbye to the old man.
Just as we were saying goodbye, another child arrived,
bringing his own soccer ball.
The old man took a sip of beer, stood up,
and started playing with that child again.