"It's the hard that makes it great."

Yesterday, that wonderful movie, "A League Of Their Own," was on TV. I didn't watch it all (got a book to finish, y'all!), but I love this movie because:

I love Jon Lovitz as the scout. He's hilarious.

I love that women are allowed to be shown as fierce and competent competitors.

Apparently some people think Dottie, played by Gena Davis, lets her sister win the last game of the series. Not me, and here's why: throughout the movie, Dottie's portrayed as very competitive. Yes, she smiles and she's nice, but when it's game time? It's game on.

There's also a clue at the very start of the movie, when "old" Dottie talks to her two grandsons who are playing basketball. She says to the eldest, "Let him take some shots." She does not say, "Let him win." She lets her sister have her chance when she agrees to try out for the league because her sister wants to so much, and unless Dottie goes, she can't. But I don't think that means she was willing to lose a major game on purpose. And that's fine by me, because I think Kit would have known it if Dottie hadn't given her all, and her triumph would have been bitter instead of glorious.

But most of all, I love this movie for the part where Dottie, the best player in the league, is leaving the team before the big game. The team manager doesn't understand how she can give it all up at such a crucial time. She says, "It's too hard."

His response hit home to me (no pun intended, but hey, it works) the first time I saw this film, and it still does. He says, "It's not supposed to be easy. If it were easy, anybody could do it. It's the hard that makes it great."

It's the hard that makes it great.

It's the hard that makes success all the sweeter. It's what separates those who wish for something from those who work for something. It's what makes the difference between everybody who says, "I'd love to write a book someday" and those who do, between those who dabble and those who strive to improve their craft.

And because it is hard, and does take work and dedication and sacrifice, when you succeed? The hard transforms all the angst, frustration, work and worry into something great.