Today, March 31, 2014 – the Texas Sun is shining, the birds are chirping (seriously) and our canine friend, Pink Petunia is tongue waggling after (another) delightful neighborhood walk – but this time in (Austin). Last night, my government funded state school that I actually graduated from – won (another) hard fought victory. Of course, it would seem my business degrees are not worth much per a certain ESPN talking-head, but I will ‘let it go’ into the negative trash heap comment section. And since I use a pen name, or for those who prefer some fancy writin’ a ‘nom de plume’, it would ruin all my built up happy karma (say it with ME until next week, “Namaste”) to lower my writing craft to provide a response because I’d need to use my real name, and point out all the success I’ve had in my life – even though apparently I was educationally handicapped post-graduation, and I was born and bred in Lexington, Kentucky – so my knuckle dragging genetic code has not evolved from our primordial bourbon soup. (I refuse to edit this – I still abide by this response.)
It was quite nerve racking to watch the game, (AGAIN!) even though my emotional response had an absolute zero effect on the outcome. In fact, (from the game before) my wife pointed out half-way through the game I had turned into that blue-haired man that screams, “get off my front lawn” or in my case – screaming at the television as if the conspiratorial referees could hear me from Houston. (But in Austin, I muted the television this time, and watched the game alone – while my wife was dealing with clients.) And I will not recount the game, I’ll refer you to the folks at Kentucky Sports Radio Dot Com, who are my and many others – NY Post (Page Six) moral equivalent.
What I noted last night was the loud fan base. (Not really, I don’t know, I had the TV muted, but it looked loud and the iHeart radioed in WVLK 630 – that I randomly listened to hiding behind closet door – sounded heart stopping.) They were not the quiet blued haired – ‘we got our season tickets handed down to us’, or the ‘we made a huge donation to the university’ game watchers. I know that may seem harsh, but I think those young men on both teams fed off the fans energy. (AGAIN!) It was just cool. But just as I thought I was being Mr. Superior, I looked in the mirror and realized (again this morning) I have ‘blue hair’, (BIG BLUE HAIR). Now, I can color my genetically gifted hair that covers my expansive dome, but what about those mysterious ‘grey to blue grey’ snarls, tangles, that appear inside my nose, or in rather personal regions, or in my ears? I can pluck them out, THAT HURTS – or use the ever popular battery-powered hair zapper, but they keep coming back like ghostly specters from a Steven King novel.
(And this morning, even though I appear to have even more BIG Blue Hair, I don’t seem to care, I’m in Texas, the Sun is out and I am grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. I know because my wife pointed it out as I could not resist from reading the – smack – and I have an evil grin, and I admit, I have a super sized competitive gene that I attempt to hide – BUT NOT THIS MORNING!)
Thankfully, I have re-learned to think about what I say or scream. (Or, to simply watch the game alone, with the TV muted, and the iPhone radio software on for WVLK 630. And I can now exit the communist party re-education camp, for learning NOT to scream at the television … thank you for your mercy Oh Great Leader.)
As each season comes and goes with the constant motion of the tides, and I luckily get to age, I have to admit that I’m becoming a ‘BIG Blue Hair’ fan. I wrote at the end of Bobby’s Socks that the character, Bobby, smiled because he realized he got to be old. (But after THIS game, I feel a bit younger, as in some how we all got to go back in time – and recapture a few days from being young-ur.)
I think there is magic in this world, and happiness is the awareness to bend down and enjoy the fragrance from a red rose, to smile from a child’s giggle, to realize a game is just a game, and to have the wisdom to know those ‘Big Blue Hairs’ are earned. I think that’s when God whispers to me to enjoy the moment, to stop, listen and pay attention because you might not be here again. (And I cannot believe he made that shot with a giant basketball paw in his face – and as Joe Dean used to say, that was “String Music!” And I have to admit, I think I like the idea of having a ‘Reverse Laettner’ Ground Hog Day. Again, and Again, and Again …)
(And yes, I feel so frenetic, I’ve had to re-edit this post several times, forgive me. And still cannot believe he made that shot …)
NS
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