Every morning, my routine goes something like this: wake up, curse the dogs across the street that WOKE me up, grab my phone, check the news, get my kids ready for school. And, in my early morning fog, I’ve been reading a lot about a football coach in Seattle who may be fired for praying at the 50-yard line at football games.The story varies a little from news outlet to news outlet, but the latest I’ve read is that mediation was (at one point, anyway)an option. But, I can’t figure out what happened. One report stated that the coach didn’t respond to the request. But, that hasn’t been verified.

Either way, mediation was dead-in-the-water.

And, all I could think was: DARN! This is the PERFECT mediation opportunity. Why? Because there seems to be so much gray area. I  mean, could he pray elsewhere? At another time? Could the school come up with a “praying policy” to accommodate for him and other coaches?

At the end of the day, it seems like there were an awful lot of opportunities to come to an amicable solution. But, guess where the case is now? In the hands of multiple lawyers.

It’s another reminder that, sometimes, mediation can seem like the more difficult path. In many cases, two sides may think it’s just easier to fight it out. Boy, would they be wrong!

I suppose we’ll see what happens in this case. But, it’s a good opportunity to remind ourselves that the hardest path may be the best…and, it may be easier than we think!

Britt