A day does not go by without thinking of Chris that is for sure. Over ten years later – that does not change. For anyone going through loss – yes it stays with you but YES you can be happy again too. It is one of many paradoxes that are very real.
One thing you learn early on is that you gotta get up, make coffee and get rolling…some days more literally than others.
Birmingham, Michigan is a beautiful mini city and we took advantage today of the amazing weather. Hope you are enjoying your summer too – and for those in the Southern Hemisphere – your Winter days!
Of course Ingrid, always thinking, took some water in her Be The Best water bottle. If you want one of your own, you can choose from a variety of colours/colors with all proceeds going towards Chris’ fund. We have a bunch of stuff there paid for by the family so you can enjoy, remember Chris and have the money go directly to Chris’ fund with tremendous help and support of the crew at Martket Branding .
Part of this ’10 years later’ thing is that I read a few posts from the past. One I was thinking about this week came to mind as I was watching a little Premier League action last weekend. With no crowds and manufactured crowd noise it was an interesting watch but great to see live sports in any event. The way you face – is an expression I learned from Davie B (you know who you are) on the soccer pitch. The main point is that you may be turned around and facing away from your goal. That’s ok. That’s the direction you should play at the moment. Going backwards is a powerful method to move forward. Kinda sounds like pandemic recovery to me. Many times since 2010, we’ve had to play the way we faced. We needed to make a defensive move so we didn’t lose control. Ten years later, I see the wisdom from those words more than ever. Here’s the original post from 2011.
Image via Wikipedia
One of the things I love about Saturday mornings is watching a little Premier League Soccer as the schedule permits. With games as early as 5 and 7am, the timing works well with the newspaper and a good cup of coffee.
I love the skill, the speed, the set-up and I love those British announcers use of the English language. Their phrasing and commentary adds a poetic quality to the experience.
We’ve played a lot of noon hour soccer with my work gang over the years.
It’s not quite at Premier League level…but you wouldn’t know it from the locker room stories told just after the match.
When you play sports and you are in the heat of the moment field-of-play one thing you’ll hear is players shouting to other players. Usually instructions come in bursts of 2 or 3 repeats. Move the ball, move the ball, MOVE THE BALL…all increasing in urgency.
Ok, that last one is what gets yelled at me a lot, so maybe I’m just sensitive. Joking aside, I’ve wondered about this form of communication and liken it to military instruction in the heat of the battle. You want to be clear about your communication and there’s no time to waste with niceties.
One of the most interesting lines I’ve heard a million times on the soccer pitch is, ‘the way you face’.
When you are playing soccer the objective is pretty clear. You need to score on the opponent’s goal. In order to do this you should be moving the ball forward toward the enemy’s net.
However, many times you don’t receive the ball in a position where going forward makes the most sense.
In other words, if you receive the ball and you happen to be turned towards your own goal, your natural instinct may be to make an immediate turn and try to push the ball forward.
That could be the worst move.
When you hear, ‘the way you face’, ‘the way you face’, ‘the way you face’, it’s a reminder from your teammate to gain control of the ball and move the ball in the direction you are facing at the time which may appear counterproductive but ultimately allows your team to go forward.
I’ve thought about that phrase a lot in the game of life.
Sometimes turning too quickly and trying to push forward to the opponent’s goal is not the right move.
Playing the way you face, ie passing the ball ‘backwards’ before your team moves the play forward again protects possession and ultimately provides a greater opportunity to score.
Too heavy on the soccer analogies?
I think I may get another Americano and watch game 2 of the Premier League.
Many of you will remember my sister (known to Chris as AC – Aunty Cathy) – Cathy AJ Hardy to most. She sang this song at Chris’ funeral and to say it was impactful is a dramatic understatement.
She recently did a concert from home and sang this wonderful song. Her backstory of the song starts at about minute 44 with the song shortly thereafter.
Hope you enjoy and remember that love does shine – regardless of the weather.
I’ve always loved art and photography. One of the things I learned from the pros early on was that light and perspective meant more than quality of equipment. Don’t get me wrong, good equipment is important, but you can take bad pictures with a good camera. These pics are simply plants in our urban backyard. Nothing special in a macro view, but when you get up close and add the brilliance of a Michigan early morning sun, it makes things come alive.
See inconspicuous plant in middle right of picture. I’m sure the flower has a name. Begonia or something. Geranium? Hosta? Ok, fact check: HydrangeaSame hydrangea, different perspective.
I remember being at the mall with 8 year old Chris looking for video games. He was playing a demo game and his video character kept on getting zapped. I said, ‘Move your guy. Move left. Move right’. It was so OBVIOUS to me. He continued to struggle and then it dawned on me. I knelt down to get to his height and the angle of the screen was such that you could see movement but couldn’t really see what was going on. In that moment, perspective became very real.
I needed to change my vantage point to understand his reality.
In these divisive times viewing things from another’s perspective isn’t weak or non-decisive. It’s powerful and radical. We don’t have to ‘choose sides’ as much as aim to understand each other a little more and gain perspective.
We may just find some beauty and understanding along the way. Have a great week.
For me nothing exemplifies Canadian ideals more than Terry Fox.
His dedication to a cause, his dedication to people, his dedication to perseverance are all traits certainly embodied by Be The Best in a beautifully understated Canadian way. Just get out there – and run a marathon every day. đŸ˜‰
This short video has some clips I hadn’t seen before and you see the pure passion and kindness behind the young man who has become an icon, not only for Canada, but worldwide. Have a watch and get inspired. Have a great day.
Be The Best. 