Busy-ness is upon us. I mean, we are all generally busy, but with the start of school, fall sports, and all the other things that come along with that, busy becomes busier. One thing I do really enjoy this time of year is watching the boys of fall take the field. Baseball is, of course, my favorite sport, but football is a REALLY close second. There are a few reasons for that. Memories, I would say, and those memories make up some of my favorite moments. Some of my favorite memories are Thanksgiving holidays when I was a child. My mom, Betty, used to host EVERYone. And by everyone I mean, there were anywhere from 35-50 people in our home most years. The most she ever hosted was 52 (I know, I just asked her haha). It was always so much fun. Crowded, yes, but so much fun. She was such a good hostess. I always wanted to be able to do what she did. She has a knack for preparing large meals for lots of folks and making it look, oh, so easy! Now, I know there’s no way I could do it. I don’t have the skill . . . or the patience . . . to pull it off. Anyway, back to the topic. I remember those Thanksgivings so fondly. The family, food (especially Aunt Gertrude’s plum pudding on the stove), fellowship and football. One year, my Uncle Marty had eaten so much that he was just relaxing back in his seat on the couch watching the football game that was on TV. My dad, Lloyd, told him that he was being awfully quiet. Uncle Marty said, “Elmo, (the nickname everyone in the family used for my dad) I am afraid that if I open my mouth to talk, food will just fall out.” But I always loved the time we shared just relaxing and laughing and loving each other with the sound of the football game in the background. And almost every week I would bet my dad a nickel that the Broncos would lose to WHOever they were playing. Some seasons, I did pretty well. Haha. You may have guessed that the fall season is my favorite of all. Always has been. And lastly, I became a mom in late summer, just a couple weeks from the beginning of fall. So now, anytime I watch football on TV, in person, or hear the refs whistles blowing I remember that feeling of being a new mom and all that came with that. We have watched a couple high school football games now and several college football games on TV. I have had some thoughts come to mind this week regarding what we can truly learn from watching football.
Most people know enough about football to know the “hows” of the game . . . the intent of the game. Maybe not all the rules are clear to everyone, but the ultimate purpose is clear. The goal line. I am a very goal-oriented person. I have a list of goals and I have shared the S.M.A.R.T. approach to goals in a past blog. It’s something I learned many, many years ago but it is how I like to structure goals for myself. I am also a very competitive person. I don’t like losing . . . to myself or anyone else. But especially to myself. Half the time, no scratch that, probably a majority of the time, I am the biggest obstacle in my journey to reach my goals. I think we can all say that from time to time. I am a self-sabotager. If something is going well, or is making me happy, or is getting me closer to a “win” I have a tendency to stop doing some of the things that I know have enabled me to get to where I am. We could spend ALL DAY here talking about why that is for me. But I won’t. Suffice it to say that I have always had a hard time thinking I deserve happiness, or goodness. No one to blame for that, really. Just how I have viewed myself and what I deserve. Again, I won’t get into all that. What I do need to focus on is learning and setting in my mind the FACTS of the matter at hand when dealing with goals and reaching the goodness that awaits just over that goal-line for me. What does wait for me? Well, as I have lost weight, my pain has decreased. That is one thing . . . less pain. More mobility. A more active ME. Fitting into clothes without feeling uncomfortable in my own skin. Easier sleep and rest. Better numbers where blood work is concerned. Those are all things that will come as a result of reaching my goals just as a football team gains points for crossing the goal line they are driving toward.
I saw something in one of the games I was watching this week that also made me stop and think about how much attention I am paying to my goals and what path I may be taking to reach them. In one game, all the guys on the line seemed to be over-pursuing their target on the field. They were pushing so hard and so fast to get through the line to get to whoever had the ball at the moment they actually overran where they needed to be. They were not adjusting to the path the ball carrier was taking well enough to meet him where he was headed. I feel like that has happened in the past few months to me in my journey. I have been so super-focused on a few aspects of my goals that I have either forgotten about other aspects or haven’t adjusted my path to meet them where I should have. Any journey to a greater outcome is all about rolling with the punches and making timely adjustments in our focus to be able to receive whatever we are supposed to be receiving at that moment.
One other thought came to mind that I can’t really say was inspired by anything I saw on the field. I know how hard those guys playing college ball or in the NFL had to work to get to where they are. I know how hard our oldest who plays college ball had to work to get to where he is. I’d be willing to be that at one time or another, someone . . . a coach, a spectator, a parent, a teammate . . . likely told each of those people playing on the field that they weren’t good enough, or strong enough, or fast enough, or made of the right stuff, to make it happen for themselves. And every one of them had to overcome that objection to become what they were made to become. Man. That one actually stung a little bit. I have a hard time NOT listening to what people say to me, or about me, and I worry WAY TOO MUCH what other people think of me. And beyond that, at times, I have started to believe what those people said about me, or what I imagined they thought of me. My dad told me once that I wouldn’t worry about what people thought about me if I only knew how infrequently they actually thought about me. And you know, the things I imagine in my mind that people think about me are likely so much worse than what they do think about me. The older I get the more I think that maybe, just maybe, when someone thinks about me, they might smile. Or pray for me. Or remember a time when we shared a moment together. Or that they just might hope for all the best things for me. I do these things when I think of other people. And I’m no better than anyone else, so possibly they are doing the same things. But, it is easier as I grow to put those negative thoughts aside.
It would do us all a lot of good to remember that NO ONE can determine your life path, your personality, or your abilities FOR you. What we are and who we can become in life are things that are completely up to us. We have to surround ourselves with only those people who will support us in our endeavors. I am here to tell you that you already know who these people are. They are the people who will answer the tough questions we ask. They will tell us if they think we are on the right path or not, and only do it because they love us. They won’t take any excuses from us; they will literally tell us that, yeah, we do need to get our crap together and refocus. I am so thankful to have family and friends who will do just that for me. And just like the football team that is driving to the same goal line – together – these folks know when to pull right or pull left to open a path for you to break through the line and advance the ball. It doesn’t matter who is rooting against us. The only people who should ever get our attention are those cheering for us. There will always be naysayers; name callers; negative Nancy’s; even if they exist ONLY in our mind. Show those who would oppose you that you CAN do what you have set out to do. You can push through all the negativity and fear. And let them know without a doubt they are going to be the ones losing their nickel this time around. You are worth it.
#loveyourjourney #youreworthit #bettermewithNewYouCBD #Endo30 #itsuptoyou
Losing Lacy 