In my very first blog, I warned you that there would be times when I just did not feel like writing about sports. This is one of those times.
After this week’s tragic events in Boston and in West, Texas, it is hard not to think of the people who saw their family members and loved ones go off to watch the Boston Marathon, socialize with friends, or go to work and never return. Tragedy struck, without warning, and without any opportunity to offer any final words. It gave me pause to consider things we all should say or would say if we only knew we would never see some people again:
1. Hopefully, we all would take the time to thank our parents for their discipline, their support, and their love.
2. We would tell our “significant other” how much they have enriched our lives and have made every day better.
3. We would tell our children how proud we are of their accomplishments, but more importantly, how proud we are that they are good people and good citizens.
4. We would inspire our grandchildren to continue to work hard, persevere, and treat people as they would want to be treated.
5. We would offer hearty handshakes and hugs to our siblings.
6. We would find the time to thank teachers and coaches who taught us to push harder to become more than we thought we could.
7. We would thank our employers for finding and matching our talents to their needs.
8. We would tell friends and fellow employees their time spent with us makes our days better.
9. We would show appreciation to those individuals whom we come in contact with on a regular basis, treat us respectfully, serve our needs, and thank us for our patronage and loyalty.
10. We would make amends to those we have slighted, treated poorly, and made to feel badly.
Make this your “bucket list”. Do the best you can to take the time to check off the conversations, the messages, the thoughts and feelings. This past week tells us we do not know how much time we have. Don’t be left thinking, “If only…”
ABOVE THE EARS (SOME MUSINGS)
1. LeBron James (NBA), Mario Balotelli (soccer), and Lindsey Vonn (Alpine ski racer) are the three athletes mentioned by Time magazine as 3 of the 100 most influential people in the world. I know 2 of the 3 and spend very little time following any of their sports. However, I liked what I read about them. Zola, an Italian soccer star, wrote about Balotelli. Derek Jeter wrote the piece on LeBron and Danica Patrick wrote about Lindsey Vonn. I know the latter two writers. I have to broaden my horizons.
2. Tiger Woods received a two-stoke penalty during the Masters when a fan called in to say he had broken a rule. The fan was proven to be correct. In a more serious vein, as evidenced this week, with today’s technology, it is hard to get away with anything.
3. The Boston Red Sox are in first place right now in the AL East just ahead of the Yankees. Even a die-hard Yankee fan might not be too upset about that.
4. I will not be blogging the next two weeks, but this space will be in the able fingers of Scott Barr and Randy Kane. Scott will talk about the elimination of wrestling from the Olympics and Randy will look at auto racing. Enjoy!
5. I want to thank Jim Best for being a guest blogger last week. He talked about his trip to the National Wrestling Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. His passion for the sport just oozed out of the computer screen.
