We were halfway into our Sunday morning soccer game on a local middle school turf field when a dad walked up and told us we had to leave. He was the coach of a kids’ team, he’d booked the field for 8 a.m., and we needed to move immediately.
It was inconvenient – the grass nearby was wet, uneven, and far from ideal – but we moved and finished our game.
But here’s the kicker:
We were only using a third of the turf.
And for the entire next hour, the kids he was coaching also used only a third of the turf… on the opposite end.
They didn’t come near the space we had been occupying even once.
On our way out, we all chuckled. The whole thing had been unnecessary. It wasn’t about need – it was about “because I can.”
Two lessons.
Next time they ask us, I’ll make sure to ask if they actually plan to use the field. This might avoid the whole dance. Sometimes people enforce rules by default because no one asks.
The second lesson is that I’m sure I’ve done the same thing at some point – enforced something simply because I could.
It’s a good reminder to catch myself the next time I’m in that position.
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
