Kepler is left-handed. For some reason today at the Buddy Up demo, his buddy insisted he play right-handed. I got very hung up on this. I figure he has enough challenges already without insisting he play wrong-handed. 

I know it didn’t impact the outcome of a match or game. I know he had fun. But I wanted him to be able to do this thing the way it comes naturally. Why would an adult take the racquet out of his dominant hand? 

I think I’m making up a story that she assumed because he has Down syndrome he doesn’t know which hand to hold the racquet with. That’s why it bothered me so much.

If she was going to assume anything, I’d like her to assume he knows what the heck he’s doing when he holds his racquet. 

There’s probably a really good reason why she kept taking the racquet out of his left hand and I wish I knew what it was because this is still sticking with me. 

This is a perfect illustration of the kind of thinking that has gotten me stuck before. I make up a story about why someone else does something. And about 99.987% of the time I don’t know, do I?

I suppose we all do this, but it certainly makes for a less satisfying experience. I think I’m harboring a little secret desire that he’ll be able to participate in the Special Olympics someday so I want his sports experiences to be as good as possible. Which to me means he plays left-handed. 

 But it’s time to let it go. Learn from it. Acknowledge; and move on, as my boy Lloyd Dobler said in Say Anything. It happened. We lived. And everything’ll be ok. I know it.