I wish I could feel compelled to right more often just because. Just because I was grateful for any one of the ten thousand reasons that I should be (and am) grateful. But for some reason I only feel my burst of writing energy when something gets under my skin.
So the theme of what's under my skin today is a topic that I've written about a few times already. Why aren't people happier? I often wonder "what if". We all do. What if I had taken that path, studied that subject, accepted that job or married that woman. How would my life be different? Would I be happier? Would the grass be greener? I get it...but reaching middle age and “suddenly” discovering your life has not turned out exactly how you planned it in the 10th grade is about as unenlightening a revelation as realizing rocks fall when you drop them.
We all have regrets, but if I hear one more whiny spouse of either gender announcing that they got a divorce because they were “not happy” or they needed to "follow their bliss", I would like to put them in a crate and ship them to Afghanistan or Haiti so they can learn the true meaning of “not happy.” I'll admit that I'm not a neutral observer on the topic of divorce and my opinions are definitely biased, but I'm sick and tired of the whole “grass is greener” nonsense, particularly when knowing that just about every heifer that ever had its head stuck in a barbed wire fence quickly learns it's the same grass no matter which side you're on. They need to stop wasting their lives in these silly, extended, self-directed, over-produced dramas searching for nirvana, especially when chances are it's been right in front of them the entire time all along. I'm convinced that the pursuit of happiness is the chief cause of unhappiness. Being happy is so much more than merely not being unhappy. It can't be purchased, sold, elected or voted for, but can be found by simply looking at what one has as opposed to what one thinks they are missing.
Happiness is not having what you want, it is wanting what you have. It is not something you have to pursue, it's just something you decide. It can be as simple as a cool breeze or a warm bed. The younger we are, the simpler the equation. To a 5-year-old it can be a piece of candy from grandpa, and when I was 11 I remember being dizzy from happiness with a nice smile from a cute girl. (ok...I'll admit that is still pretty effective at 48)
And before anybody thinks they're being singled out by these words, trust me, this is about no one in particular yet a great many in general. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly coincidence!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
It Keeps Getting Better
Why does every generation believe that humanity is in its worst state ever? It seems to me that everyone thinks that The Golden Age was whatever period of time covered your youth. Movies were better (unless you were a black actor), music was better (unless you were a gay singer), politics were better (unless you were a woman running for office), schools were better (unless you had dyslexia), and kids had more respect (and knew they deserved that beating). And today's world is in the toilet which is proof that Jesus is coming and the end is near. Whatever.
Are things really worse? If you really think things are worse, then they are, and there is never a lack of evidence to prove your point. You see aids, terrorism, pollution, and watch Fox News and you have no doubt that civilization is decaying.
But I prefer to look at life through a different lens, and case by case, most things seem a lot better today when compared with conditions just a generation ago, let alone a millenium ago.
Here are a few examples that come to mind. They range from trivial to awesome. And I'm not even going to discuss comparisons from 1000 years ago when we worried about our villages getting plundered, our children getting kidnapped, and rats bringing the plague.
Would the people who complain that there's no leg room on the airplane rather pull their hand cart to Utah? Would you still live in Phoenix if there was no air conditioning? How wonderful is it that instead of an outhouse and the Sears catalog, we have indoor plumbing and really soft toilet paper?(my favorite reason I wasn't born a hundred years earlier) What about cell phones, ATM's, velcro, online banking, online trading and those really funny stock trading baby commercials?
But it's your choice. You can look at UPC symbols and GPS as an example of Big Brother looking over your shoulder or you can look look at them as just a faster way to get out of the store and never getting lost. You can complain about the cost of health care or you can thank God for the miracles of penicillin, epidurals, and flouride.
Cars are safer, water is safer, paint is safer, cribs are safer, food is safer, and you can eat in a restaurant without the stink of cigarettes. Hmmmm.....I wonder if our incompetent, intrusive government and their regulations had anything to with that?
YOU LIVE IN PARADISE!!!!!
Do you really yearn for the "good old days"? Do you really want to worry about polio? Do you really want to have to get up to change the channel? Do you you want to know that when your child moves 200 miles away, you'll likely never see them again? Do you want your daughter to have 10% of the opportunities that she had 100 years ago? Do you really think that humanity is so corrupt that there is no saving it?
The world...this paradise we live in...keeps getting better. You can give the credit to God, or you can give the credit to man, but every year, the world is better than it was the year before. I usually believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but if you disagree with me...you are WRONG.
With so many blessings out there, why is it so hard to feel blessed?
Are things really worse? If you really think things are worse, then they are, and there is never a lack of evidence to prove your point. You see aids, terrorism, pollution, and watch Fox News and you have no doubt that civilization is decaying.
But I prefer to look at life through a different lens, and case by case, most things seem a lot better today when compared with conditions just a generation ago, let alone a millenium ago.
Here are a few examples that come to mind. They range from trivial to awesome. And I'm not even going to discuss comparisons from 1000 years ago when we worried about our villages getting plundered, our children getting kidnapped, and rats bringing the plague.
Would the people who complain that there's no leg room on the airplane rather pull their hand cart to Utah? Would you still live in Phoenix if there was no air conditioning? How wonderful is it that instead of an outhouse and the Sears catalog, we have indoor plumbing and really soft toilet paper?(my favorite reason I wasn't born a hundred years earlier) What about cell phones, ATM's, velcro, online banking, online trading and those really funny stock trading baby commercials?
But it's your choice. You can look at UPC symbols and GPS as an example of Big Brother looking over your shoulder or you can look look at them as just a faster way to get out of the store and never getting lost. You can complain about the cost of health care or you can thank God for the miracles of penicillin, epidurals, and flouride.
Cars are safer, water is safer, paint is safer, cribs are safer, food is safer, and you can eat in a restaurant without the stink of cigarettes. Hmmmm.....I wonder if our incompetent, intrusive government and their regulations had anything to with that?
YOU LIVE IN PARADISE!!!!!
Do you really yearn for the "good old days"? Do you really want to worry about polio? Do you really want to have to get up to change the channel? Do you you want to know that when your child moves 200 miles away, you'll likely never see them again? Do you want your daughter to have 10% of the opportunities that she had 100 years ago? Do you really think that humanity is so corrupt that there is no saving it?
The world...this paradise we live in...keeps getting better. You can give the credit to God, or you can give the credit to man, but every year, the world is better than it was the year before. I usually believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but if you disagree with me...you are WRONG.
With so many blessings out there, why is it so hard to feel blessed?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The End is Near!
Doomsdayers have shouted this prediction for thousands of years and the only end has been their own. The recent "irrefutable evidence" has come from this years series of earthquakes. I've always assumed that the mountains and canyons and volcanos and sink holes and tsunamis and hurricanes that are all over the globe were evidence that we live on an evolving, living planet. Not so! I just read an article about the latest quake in Turkey but that's not where the real information was. The good stuff was below the article in the comments section. That is the best part of getting your news online. You get to see read people's opinions of the news. And since all comments are anonymous you get see the crazy stuff that these people really think about.
There were nearly 2000 comments on this article so naturally I didn't read them all, but I did browse a couple hundred and here is a breakdown of earthquake theories.
60% say the reason is biblical. Jesus is returning and the earthquakes are no surprise because it's all predicted in scripture. (Matthew 24:7 and Revelations 16:18-20). Biblical predictions have been around for 2000 years so this is nothing new. I have to be careful here because some of these beliefs are sincere but what stood out and bothered me about these posts was the apparent delight at the prospect of the end of the world. Sinners (humans who don't believe what you believe) were finally going to get what was coming to them. Seriously! These people have the same joyful confidence of the suicide bomber before he squeezes the trigger. Just no doubt in their minds about what comes next and joy in the knowledge that people were going to be hurt.
10% say government conspiracy. Included in this number are the handful who say it's Obama's fault. Apparently the United States has developed an earthquake machine and we are in the process of testing it around poor countries. Other more sensible conspiracy theorists say don't be silly. There is no earthquake machine. The US is conducting undersea nuclear tests. Both sides have lots of compelling evidence which I won't go into here.
10% say it's all about the 2012 Mayan prophecies. For more information...see the movie.
10% have actually made the case that earthquakes are caused by global warming. You see, because both poles are melting, the weight of the earth is getting redistributed and geologic shifts are occurring. The quakes are going to continue until the earth finds balances its new weight. One woman (who had quotes from Fox News) combines this theory with the conspiracy theories and says Al Gore is running the earthquake machine to fool us into believing him so he can take over the world.
5% believe mother earth is a living breathing organism and human kind is a parasite or bacteria on its surface. Because of our bad habits, she is finally taking action to get rid of us.
3% say oil drilling and coal mining are too blame. It's obvious that if you remove the interior of any object then the exterior is going to start collapsing. Also, the oil acts as a natural lubricant on the plates and now its missing so there is more friction that causes earth quakes. Ok, I have to confess that I almost started to believe this one. It made sense to me and the people explaining it were using really big, scientificky words that impressed me.
Only 2% of the people believed that there is nothing new or unusual going on. Here is a quote I lifted that summarizes my own views. "All you fatalists and conspiracy idiots are just that, idiots. Earthquakes have been happening around the world for thousands of years and every time idiots perceive it as a harbinger of Armageddon. Today's day and age with easily accessible information through the internet and growing number of people in areas that are able to report it so quickly, it may seem like there is an unusual amount of catastrophic natural disasters, but the fact is is that you are more readily informed of these events than the past. They've always been occurring, all over the world so get a grip and move on".
At first it frightened me that 98% of the population believe something dark and unusual is going on. But then with relief, I realized that it is just 98% of anonymous public forum commentors dying for attention. Tell me that's right. There aren't really only 2 out of 100 people that think this is all perfectly normal, right? Right?
If you want to see a cool website that will show you every earthquake in the world go to:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php
There were nearly 2000 comments on this article so naturally I didn't read them all, but I did browse a couple hundred and here is a breakdown of earthquake theories.
60% say the reason is biblical. Jesus is returning and the earthquakes are no surprise because it's all predicted in scripture. (Matthew 24:7 and Revelations 16:18-20). Biblical predictions have been around for 2000 years so this is nothing new. I have to be careful here because some of these beliefs are sincere but what stood out and bothered me about these posts was the apparent delight at the prospect of the end of the world. Sinners (humans who don't believe what you believe) were finally going to get what was coming to them. Seriously! These people have the same joyful confidence of the suicide bomber before he squeezes the trigger. Just no doubt in their minds about what comes next and joy in the knowledge that people were going to be hurt.
10% say government conspiracy. Included in this number are the handful who say it's Obama's fault. Apparently the United States has developed an earthquake machine and we are in the process of testing it around poor countries. Other more sensible conspiracy theorists say don't be silly. There is no earthquake machine. The US is conducting undersea nuclear tests. Both sides have lots of compelling evidence which I won't go into here.
10% say it's all about the 2012 Mayan prophecies. For more information...see the movie.
10% have actually made the case that earthquakes are caused by global warming. You see, because both poles are melting, the weight of the earth is getting redistributed and geologic shifts are occurring. The quakes are going to continue until the earth finds balances its new weight. One woman (who had quotes from Fox News) combines this theory with the conspiracy theories and says Al Gore is running the earthquake machine to fool us into believing him so he can take over the world.
5% believe mother earth is a living breathing organism and human kind is a parasite or bacteria on its surface. Because of our bad habits, she is finally taking action to get rid of us.
3% say oil drilling and coal mining are too blame. It's obvious that if you remove the interior of any object then the exterior is going to start collapsing. Also, the oil acts as a natural lubricant on the plates and now its missing so there is more friction that causes earth quakes. Ok, I have to confess that I almost started to believe this one. It made sense to me and the people explaining it were using really big, scientificky words that impressed me.
Only 2% of the people believed that there is nothing new or unusual going on. Here is a quote I lifted that summarizes my own views. "All you fatalists and conspiracy idiots are just that, idiots. Earthquakes have been happening around the world for thousands of years and every time idiots perceive it as a harbinger of Armageddon. Today's day and age with easily accessible information through the internet and growing number of people in areas that are able to report it so quickly, it may seem like there is an unusual amount of catastrophic natural disasters, but the fact is is that you are more readily informed of these events than the past. They've always been occurring, all over the world so get a grip and move on".
At first it frightened me that 98% of the population believe something dark and unusual is going on. But then with relief, I realized that it is just 98% of anonymous public forum commentors dying for attention. Tell me that's right. There aren't really only 2 out of 100 people that think this is all perfectly normal, right? Right?
If you want to see a cool website that will show you every earthquake in the world go to:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Testosterone
I needed a change.
I interact with women all day. My boss is a woman, most of my co-workers are women, my best friends locally are women, I ski with women, and I date women. I drive a mini-van. I own a bichon frise. I'm polite, empathetic, politically correct, and refrain from loud belching. I recycle, keep a clean house, and watch American Idol.
A couple of weeks ago, I looked in the mirror and wondered if I should be moisturizing when I realized that an immediate trip to Utah was necessary to keep me from adding "Dancing With the Stars" to my list of must see TV.
I didn't head to Utah because I thought it was a particularly virile state. I went to visit my friends, who despite being active in their church and local government and appearing to be responsible family men, will still giggle when they fart.
It was just what I needed.
We talked of zoning laws, death penalties, proper sidewalk construction, neutering sex offenders, basketball, dogs, 401Ks, and guns. We worried and bragged about our kids, and towed a Ford out of the mud. We went to a sports bar and watched Olympics and basketball. We insulted each other and nobody cried. We even went to Cabelas, the mansion of manliness, and shopped for sleeping bags, water filters, camp stoves, and guns. I held rifles, pistols and shot guns and was having a nice time until Todd told them I was a Democrat and they asked me to leave.
And we shot guns...
I believe in sensible gun control laws and I believe that some people have crossed the line of sanity on the subject, but I have to admit that it feels good to watch clay targets explode when you shoot them. BOOM! It feels...well it feels...manly! BOOM! with every shot, I could picture myself protecting my family from the zombie hordes trying to get into my house. BOOM! Everytime I pulled the trigger I felt a little dose of testosterone enter my body. It feels good...
I think I can hold off Dancing With the Stars for another season.
Thanks Todd and Troy!
I interact with women all day. My boss is a woman, most of my co-workers are women, my best friends locally are women, I ski with women, and I date women. I drive a mini-van. I own a bichon frise. I'm polite, empathetic, politically correct, and refrain from loud belching. I recycle, keep a clean house, and watch American Idol.
A couple of weeks ago, I looked in the mirror and wondered if I should be moisturizing when I realized that an immediate trip to Utah was necessary to keep me from adding "Dancing With the Stars" to my list of must see TV.
I didn't head to Utah because I thought it was a particularly virile state. I went to visit my friends, who despite being active in their church and local government and appearing to be responsible family men, will still giggle when they fart.
It was just what I needed.
We talked of zoning laws, death penalties, proper sidewalk construction, neutering sex offenders, basketball, dogs, 401Ks, and guns. We worried and bragged about our kids, and towed a Ford out of the mud. We went to a sports bar and watched Olympics and basketball. We insulted each other and nobody cried. We even went to Cabelas, the mansion of manliness, and shopped for sleeping bags, water filters, camp stoves, and guns. I held rifles, pistols and shot guns and was having a nice time until Todd told them I was a Democrat and they asked me to leave.
And we shot guns...
I believe in sensible gun control laws and I believe that some people have crossed the line of sanity on the subject, but I have to admit that it feels good to watch clay targets explode when you shoot them. BOOM! It feels...well it feels...manly! BOOM! with every shot, I could picture myself protecting my family from the zombie hordes trying to get into my house. BOOM! Everytime I pulled the trigger I felt a little dose of testosterone enter my body. It feels good...
I think I can hold off Dancing With the Stars for another season.
Thanks Todd and Troy!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Bad Blogger...
...bad, bad, blogger! You've let 2 months go by without writing a word! Now sit your butt down at the keyboard and write something! It doesn't have to be profound. It doesn't have to be funny. But you started this blog because you like to write...so WRITE!
Ok,Ok, I'm writing! Get off my back! I was lazy, I admit it. There were thoughts in my head and things to write about but I'd sit down and thing "Bleehhh" maybe later. To tell you the truth, one of the obstacles holding me up is my audience. If your mother, daughter, ex-wife, neighbor, boss, cousin, best friends, and girl friends can all peak into your head it definitely limits the topics you can talk about. And the people that are in your life tend to be characters in the stories of your life, so you have to be careful not to upset anyone who thought that certain story would remain anonymous. See the problem?? There are stories I share with my friends that I sure don't want my kids to know about and there are incidents at work that I'd just as soon keep from my boss. If I praise a former relationship, that might not be appreciated by a future relationship. But if I stick with happy stories that are suitable for everyone, then I end up with forgettable Hallmark cards.
I'll work on it. Any advice would be appreciated.
Ok,Ok, I'm writing! Get off my back! I was lazy, I admit it. There were thoughts in my head and things to write about but I'd sit down and thing "Bleehhh" maybe later. To tell you the truth, one of the obstacles holding me up is my audience. If your mother, daughter, ex-wife, neighbor, boss, cousin, best friends, and girl friends can all peak into your head it definitely limits the topics you can talk about. And the people that are in your life tend to be characters in the stories of your life, so you have to be careful not to upset anyone who thought that certain story would remain anonymous. See the problem?? There are stories I share with my friends that I sure don't want my kids to know about and there are incidents at work that I'd just as soon keep from my boss. If I praise a former relationship, that might not be appreciated by a future relationship. But if I stick with happy stories that are suitable for everyone, then I end up with forgettable Hallmark cards.
I'll work on it. Any advice would be appreciated.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Olympics
I just saw my first commercial for the upcoming Olympics. Intellectually, I realize that there is a ridiculous amount of time and attention and money and politics spent on these games, but I love them anyway. The commercials always make me cry. did I say cry?? I meant tear up (just a little bit). The advertisers for Nike and Gatorade are very manipulative when it comes to my emotions.
There are so many inspiring Olympic moments and I've made a list of my top five. Interestingly the top two have nothing to do with victory.
5...1980 USA Hockey. Completely unoriginal because it's on everybodies list but it's there for a reason.
4...Phelps domination in 2008 swimming. But he needed two "come from behind" victories to do it.
3...Kerry Strug sticks the landing with a broken ankle. Wow!
2...Eddie the Eagle does what we all want to do. With no talent he competes anyway.
1...No contest. This scene still brings tears to my eyes just by thinking of it. In 1992, Dereck Redmond tears his hamstring and can't finish his 400 meter race. He's sobbing and struggling to finish and his father comes out of the stands to carry him across the finish. The scene represnted so much. Striving, failing, and finishing anyway and a fathers love. Here...watch it for yourself while I get a tissue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO8b-zIKixM
Or if you prefer...here is the story from ESPN.
The day of the race arrives. Father and son reminisce about what it took for Derek to get to this point. They talk about ignoring past heartbreaks, past failures. They agree that if anything bad happens, no matter what it is, Derek has to finish the race, period.
The top four finishers in each of the two semifinal heats qualify for the Olympic final. As race time approaches for the semifinal 400 heat, Jim heads up to his seat at the top of Olympic Stadium, not far from where the Olympic torch was lit just a few days earlier. He is wearing a T-shirt that reads, "Have you hugged your foot today?"
Derek Redmond
With the help of his father, an injured Derek Redmond completed his race in the 1992 Olympics.
The stadium is packed with 65,000 fans, bracing themselves for one of sport's greatest and most exciting spectacles. The race begins and Redmond breaks from the pack and quickly seizes the lead. "Keep it up, keep it up," Jim says to himself.
Down the backstretch, only 175 meters away from finishing, Redmond is a shoo-in to make the finals. Suddenly, he hears a pop. In his right hamstring. He pulls up lame, as if he had been shot.
"Oh, no," Jim says to himself. His face pales. His leg quivering, Redmond begins hopping on one leg, then slows down and falls to the track. As he lays on the track, clutching his right hamstring, a medical personnel unit runs toward him. At the same time, Jim Redmond, seeing his son in trouble, races down from the top row of the stands, sidestepping people, bumping into others. He has no credential to be on the track, but all he thinks about is getting to his son, to help him up. "I wasn't going to be stopped by anyone," he later tells the media.
On the track, Redmond realizes his dream of an Olympic medal is gone. Tears run down his face. "All I could think was, 'I'm out of the Olympics -- again,'" he would say.
As the medical crew arrives with a stretcher, Redmond tells them, "No, there's no way I'm getting on that stretcher. I'm going to finish my race."
Then, in a moment that will live forever in the minds of millions, Redmond lifts himself to his feet, ever so slowly, and starts hobbling down the track. The other runners have finished the race, with Steve Lewis of the U.S. winning the contest in 44.50. Suddenly, everyone realizes that Redmond isn't dropping out of the race by hobbling off to the side of the track. No, he is actually continuing on one leg. He's going to attempt to hobble his way to the finish line. All by himself. All in the name of pride and heart.
Slowly, the crowd, in total disbelief, rises and begins to roar. The roar gets louder and louder. Through the searing pain, Redmond hears the cheers, but "I wasn't doing it for the crowd," he would later say. "I was doing it for me. Whether people thought I was an idiot or a hero, I wanted to finish the race. I'm the one who has to live with it."
One painful step at a time, each one a little slower and more painful than the one before, his face twisted with pain and tears, Redmond limps onward, and the crowd, many in tears, cheer him on.
Suddenly, Jim Redmond finally gets to the bottom of the stands, leaps over the railing, avoids a security guard, and runs out to his son, with two security people chasing after him. "That's my son out there," he yells back to security, "and I'm going to help him."
Finally, with Derek refusing to surrender and painfully limping along the track, Jim reaches his son at the final curve, about 120 meters from the finish, and wraps his arm around his waist.
"I'm here, son," Jim says softly, hugging his boy. "We'll finish together." Derek puts his arms around his father's shoulders and sobs.
Together, arm in arm, father and son, with 65,000 people cheering, clapping and crying, finish the race, just as they vowed they would. A couple steps from the finish line, and with the crowd in an absolute frenzy, Jim releases the grip he has on his son, so Derek could cross the finish line by himself. Then he throws his arms around Derek again, both crying, along with everyone in the stands and on TV.
"I'm the proudest father alive," he tells the press afterwards, tears in his eyes. "I'm prouder of him than I would have been if he had won the gold medal. It took a lot of guts for him to do what he did."
There are so many inspiring Olympic moments and I've made a list of my top five. Interestingly the top two have nothing to do with victory.
5...1980 USA Hockey. Completely unoriginal because it's on everybodies list but it's there for a reason.
4...Phelps domination in 2008 swimming. But he needed two "come from behind" victories to do it.
3...Kerry Strug sticks the landing with a broken ankle. Wow!
2...Eddie the Eagle does what we all want to do. With no talent he competes anyway.
1...No contest. This scene still brings tears to my eyes just by thinking of it. In 1992, Dereck Redmond tears his hamstring and can't finish his 400 meter race. He's sobbing and struggling to finish and his father comes out of the stands to carry him across the finish. The scene represnted so much. Striving, failing, and finishing anyway and a fathers love. Here...watch it for yourself while I get a tissue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO8b-zIKixM
Or if you prefer...here is the story from ESPN.
The day of the race arrives. Father and son reminisce about what it took for Derek to get to this point. They talk about ignoring past heartbreaks, past failures. They agree that if anything bad happens, no matter what it is, Derek has to finish the race, period.
The top four finishers in each of the two semifinal heats qualify for the Olympic final. As race time approaches for the semifinal 400 heat, Jim heads up to his seat at the top of Olympic Stadium, not far from where the Olympic torch was lit just a few days earlier. He is wearing a T-shirt that reads, "Have you hugged your foot today?"
Derek Redmond
With the help of his father, an injured Derek Redmond completed his race in the 1992 Olympics.
The stadium is packed with 65,000 fans, bracing themselves for one of sport's greatest and most exciting spectacles. The race begins and Redmond breaks from the pack and quickly seizes the lead. "Keep it up, keep it up," Jim says to himself.
Down the backstretch, only 175 meters away from finishing, Redmond is a shoo-in to make the finals. Suddenly, he hears a pop. In his right hamstring. He pulls up lame, as if he had been shot.
"Oh, no," Jim says to himself. His face pales. His leg quivering, Redmond begins hopping on one leg, then slows down and falls to the track. As he lays on the track, clutching his right hamstring, a medical personnel unit runs toward him. At the same time, Jim Redmond, seeing his son in trouble, races down from the top row of the stands, sidestepping people, bumping into others. He has no credential to be on the track, but all he thinks about is getting to his son, to help him up. "I wasn't going to be stopped by anyone," he later tells the media.
On the track, Redmond realizes his dream of an Olympic medal is gone. Tears run down his face. "All I could think was, 'I'm out of the Olympics -- again,'" he would say.
As the medical crew arrives with a stretcher, Redmond tells them, "No, there's no way I'm getting on that stretcher. I'm going to finish my race."
Then, in a moment that will live forever in the minds of millions, Redmond lifts himself to his feet, ever so slowly, and starts hobbling down the track. The other runners have finished the race, with Steve Lewis of the U.S. winning the contest in 44.50. Suddenly, everyone realizes that Redmond isn't dropping out of the race by hobbling off to the side of the track. No, he is actually continuing on one leg. He's going to attempt to hobble his way to the finish line. All by himself. All in the name of pride and heart.
Slowly, the crowd, in total disbelief, rises and begins to roar. The roar gets louder and louder. Through the searing pain, Redmond hears the cheers, but "I wasn't doing it for the crowd," he would later say. "I was doing it for me. Whether people thought I was an idiot or a hero, I wanted to finish the race. I'm the one who has to live with it."
One painful step at a time, each one a little slower and more painful than the one before, his face twisted with pain and tears, Redmond limps onward, and the crowd, many in tears, cheer him on.
Suddenly, Jim Redmond finally gets to the bottom of the stands, leaps over the railing, avoids a security guard, and runs out to his son, with two security people chasing after him. "That's my son out there," he yells back to security, "and I'm going to help him."
Finally, with Derek refusing to surrender and painfully limping along the track, Jim reaches his son at the final curve, about 120 meters from the finish, and wraps his arm around his waist.
"I'm here, son," Jim says softly, hugging his boy. "We'll finish together." Derek puts his arms around his father's shoulders and sobs.
Together, arm in arm, father and son, with 65,000 people cheering, clapping and crying, finish the race, just as they vowed they would. A couple steps from the finish line, and with the crowd in an absolute frenzy, Jim releases the grip he has on his son, so Derek could cross the finish line by himself. Then he throws his arms around Derek again, both crying, along with everyone in the stands and on TV.
"I'm the proudest father alive," he tells the press afterwards, tears in his eyes. "I'm prouder of him than I would have been if he had won the gold medal. It took a lot of guts for him to do what he did."
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The Captain and Tennille
What was the first album you ever purchased?
In the course of a conversation on music with old (or new) friends the question will eventually come up. Most music questions are subjective and the answers can be debated or changed. Who was the best 70"s band? What was your favorite 80's group? Who are the top 10 singers in your lifetime? There are many possible answers and you can change your mind after listening to someone else's passionate reasoning.
But you only bought your first album one time and there's only one answer. Either you bought it or you didn't. I grew up in the 70's and there were so many good bands that I could have chosen to spend $10 on. I wish I had bought Pink Floyd. That'd be a cool answer. Lynnard Skinnard, The Allman Brothers, CCR, or Queen....all would be proud answers to the question. I didn't really care for KISS or AC/DC but I'd be in good company if one them was my first. I loved REO, Fleetwood Mac, and Styx so it's a mystery why they weren't my first. If I wanted mellow, why didn't I go with Billy Joel or Simon and Garfunkel. There wouldn't even be any shame in the very 70's Abba or BeeGees.
But my first album was The Captain and Tennille. I know, I know. I can't explain it either. I remember I bought in K-Mart at the same time my brother bought Olivia Newton John. I swear...we are both heterosexual males.
Fortunately I fare much better when I am asked about my first concert. Because in 1980 I saw those macho bad boys from down under ----
--- Air Supply!
Oh Yeah!! Manhood restored!!
In the course of a conversation on music with old (or new) friends the question will eventually come up. Most music questions are subjective and the answers can be debated or changed. Who was the best 70"s band? What was your favorite 80's group? Who are the top 10 singers in your lifetime? There are many possible answers and you can change your mind after listening to someone else's passionate reasoning.
But you only bought your first album one time and there's only one answer. Either you bought it or you didn't. I grew up in the 70's and there were so many good bands that I could have chosen to spend $10 on. I wish I had bought Pink Floyd. That'd be a cool answer. Lynnard Skinnard, The Allman Brothers, CCR, or Queen....all would be proud answers to the question. I didn't really care for KISS or AC/DC but I'd be in good company if one them was my first. I loved REO, Fleetwood Mac, and Styx so it's a mystery why they weren't my first. If I wanted mellow, why didn't I go with Billy Joel or Simon and Garfunkel. There wouldn't even be any shame in the very 70's Abba or BeeGees.
But my first album was The Captain and Tennille. I know, I know. I can't explain it either. I remember I bought in K-Mart at the same time my brother bought Olivia Newton John. I swear...we are both heterosexual males.
Fortunately I fare much better when I am asked about my first concert. Because in 1980 I saw those macho bad boys from down under ----
--- Air Supply!
Oh Yeah!! Manhood restored!!
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