Time
Out
I
"play hard" - I "live to play."
I don't settle for second
place. I give 110 percent
and believe that it ain't
over until it's over. I push
myself and my body to the
edge every minute of every
day because, hey, life is
a sport.
Actually
I'm standing in a gas station
trying to choose a drink.
Longing for something other
than caffeine I peruse my
beverage choices and am bombarded
by no less than five different
sports drinks and two sports
waters. Do I want the one
that "gave me the energy I
needed" or the one that, apparently,
I should have "in me?" All
I need is the one will give
me the essential minerals
and vitamins my body craves
after the strenuous workout
it got, um, pumping 11 gallons
of gas into the purple minivan.
I
remember back when sports
was just entertainment and
life was, well, life. Now
of course we've all collectively
start believing that life
is a sport. We compare our
day to day activities like
stopping for a few groceries
on the way home to Olympic
endurance events. We seriously
begin believing that we needed
the same sneakers (sorry -
athletic shoes) that Kobe
Bryant uses on the basketball
court in order to stand in
line and get our double latte
at the neighborhood Starbucks.
Yeah,
life is tough, life is demanding.
Life done well requires a
lot of self-discipline and
inner strength. But a sport?
In
case you don't recall, sports
is where a bunch of talented
athletic people get together
and play a game for which
they get paid handsomely whether
they win or lose while the
rest of us watch and cheer
to distract ourselves from
the day to day doldrums of
being alive. In sports some
people know they won and some
know they have to try harder
next time. Nobody's feelings
get hurts, no one dies (unless
you're in a dangerous sport)
and lots of people buy tee
shirts with your pictures
on them.
Don't
get me wrong - occasionally
in my life I do feel a kinship
to athletes. I've got my fancy
shorts and my expensive running
shoes for my occasional jogs.
And when I finish - my body
heaving as I struggle to breathe,
sweat pouring off me, every
muscle aching - I can relate
to Lance Armstrong, Shaquille
O'Neal or Andre Agassi. I
KNOW what it's like to go
to the edge physically and
mentally.
Except
in reality my runs are twenty
minutes in the basement and
I relate to professional athletes
about as much as I related
to rock stars when I used
to stand in front of my mirror
and play a tennis racket to
my favorite KISS songs. When
I'm done, there is no team
bus to the next venue - I
just have to change my clothes
and continue on with my life.
The
problem with living your life
by a metaphor is that metaphors
give the perfunctory illusion
of understanding while really
making no sense. When we catch
the flu, break a leg, or develop
a terminal illness are we
just "having a bad game?."
If we don't like our family
and friends can we really
become "free agents" or hope
to be traded?
Of
course not. It's life - not
sports.
Let's
review again: Sports has referees,
a well-defined end zone, cheerleaders.
Life doesn't. Sports has easily-identifiable
opponents, time outs, a clear
winner, a scoreboard. Life
doesn't. Sports often has
that one moment when champions
know they've succeeded. Life
doesn't. In sports the heroes
know how much they're worth
in dollar amounts while in
life heroes don't even realize
they're heroes half the time.
I'm
not saying that athletes aren't
to be admired. Sporting events
are full of inspiring life
stories - talented people
who have dedicated themselves
to being the best at what
they do, the comeback of the
aging veteran, the team that
overcame adversity to become
the champions. But that's
life intersecting with sports,
not life BECOMING a sport.
Yeah,
I "play hard" - I "live to
play." I give 110 percent
and I push myself and my body
to the edge every minute of
every day. But I also try
to remember that life is so
much more than sports and
that sometimes the biggest
"play" of the day is taking
five minutes to get some hugs
from a two-year-old away from
the cheering crowd.
Once
you're done with the hugs,
of course, just make sure
you go find that sports drink
to replenish those vitamins
and minerals.....
This
column © 2001 Lee Totten
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