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It is spring again and the all too familiar cold weather and rainy days have put a damper on the local sports scene.

If spring teaches us anything, it is the valuable lesson of patience. With high winds and cold temperatures, athletes have had to wait to get on the practice field. They’ll have to wait to see if their games are scheduled on a daily basis  due to the everlasting prospect of rain and they’ll also have to wait and see what kind of team they have.

Patience can be frustrating, but it  offers a lesson in gratitude as well. When we wait for things, we tend to appreciate them a lot more.

The modern world of technology and smartphones has made the next generation much more impatient than the ones before it, but sports are the great equalizer. There is no shortcut to becoming a great pitcher, an effective high jumper or a top notch golfer.

While some athletes have a head start with their natural abilities, it takes a lot of time and effort to reach the highest levels of sport. Most athletes who work hard don’t earn Division I scholarship or make it to the pros, but they all gain a newfound sense of self confidence and accomplishment that will follow them for the rest of their lives.

Michael Jordan used to say he would lose sleep at night because he would think of all of the other players who were working harder than him. That mentality is extreme, but the truth is that you get what you put in.

If the athletes who are stuck in pause this spring continue to get in the batting cage, the golf simulator and in a gym where they can run, then they’ll find themselves enjoying their upcoming season. For those who lie dormant, they may be grabbing a seat on the bench or even in the crowd.