Playing Big

I was the middle of three sons. We were all one year apart. We were a constant pain in the butt for my parents. Because we were only a year apart in age, we were always competing. Competing with each other (meaning we fought a lot), and competing together against the neighborhood kids.

We kids would get together almost everyday after school to play the “sport du jour”. This means we would play what sport was in season at the time. Summertime we would play baseball everyday, autumn, we would play football everyday, and winter meant we played hockey every day.

There was one problem, the neighborhood kids we played against were two years older than me! (Let’s see, some quick math; that meant they were one year older than my older brother Albert, and three years older than my younger brother Steve.)

Needless to say, we got our asses kicked every day.

We I was the middle of three sons. We were all one year apart. We were a constant pain in the butt for my  didn’t care, we just wanted to play; winning or losing was secondary to playing. We knew that they were older and better players.

In reality, what happened, we became very good at playing kids our own age!

My brother Steve and I were the smallest starting players on our Pop Warner football team. We were tenacious I tell you. Well, we were tough and used to getting beat upon by bigger players.

If there is a moral to this story it is this; if you want to be really good at something, play against folks who are better than you. You may get your head kicked in a lot, but you will improve as a player.

This is true whether you are talking about ping-pong, bowling, golf, tennis, chess, poker, bridge, running, etc. etc.

When you get used to competing with people better than you, you raise your game.

Your other friends will notice.

Sliding Down the Razor Blade Of Life

When I was a young lad, my life was one game after another; not figuratively, but literally. During the baseball season my friends, and brothers, and I, played baseball everyday. During football season, we played football, and during the winter we played hockey. It was a great childhood. When I got older, I played sports in high school. I wrestled, played football, ran track and cross country, and even lettered in golf. Those were good years also.

When I went to college I still played some inter-mural sports, but because I was paying my own way through school, I also had to work. My sports career ended on a bad note, when during a co-ed broom ball game, I caught a broom stick in the mouth by a girl who didn't know you can't throw high sticks. With two real teeth less than before, I started my working career full time.

Life has been kind of down hill ever since. Not that it has been all bad, I've raised two great kids; but now I have to face the pressures of being a grownup...everyday. My life is like a pinball machine, I bounce from one challenge, to another, to another, ad infinitum. As soon as I fix one problem, sure enough, another one comes along to take its place. I seek a respite, a break in the action, but I'm too old to play anything except cards and my TV remote.

Fortunately, I have two outlets to help me stay young in body and mind. I still run, (not as much as before 9/11, when I could put five miles in during lunch time, until airport security got too restrictive); and I still log between 12-20 miles a week. I also write a blog. Between thinking about what the hell I'm going to write about, and thinking about what the hell I'm actually writing, its a great way to get my mind off today's problems.

Well, Doc, I see my time's about up. Time to get off your couch until our next session. Thanks for listening to me, I'll see you in a couple of days.

Sliding Down the Razor Blade Of Life

When I was a young lad, my life was one game after another; not figuratively, but literally. During the baseball season my friends, and brothers, and I, played baseball everyday. During football season, we played football, and during the winter we played hockey. It was a great childhood. When I got older, I played sports in high school. I wrestled, played football, ran track and cross country, and even lettered in golf. Those were good years also.


When I went to college I still played some inter-mural sports, but because I was paying my own way through school, I also had to work. My sports career ended on a bad note, when during a co-ed broom ball game, I caught a broom stick in the mouth by a girl who didn't know you can't throw high sticks. With two real teeth less than before, I started my working career full time.


Life has been kind of down hill ever since. Not that it has been all bad, I've raised two great kids; but now I have to face the pressures of being a grownup...everyday. My life is like a pinball machine, I bounce from one challenge, to another, to another, ad infinitum. As soon as I fix one problem, sure enough, another one comes along to take its place. I seek a respite, a break in the action, but I'm too old to play anything except cards and my TV remote.


Fortunately, I have two outlets to help me stay young in body and mind. I still run, (not as much as before 9/11, when I could put five miles in during lunch time, until airport security got too restrictive); and I still log between 12-20 miles a week. I also write a blog. Between thinking about what the hell I'm going to write about, and thinking about what the hell I'm actually writing, its a great way to get my mind off today's problems.


Well, Doc, I see my time's about up. Time to get off your couch until our next session. Thanks for listening to me, I'll see you in a couple of days.

Step Your Game Up!

In the world of team sports we have all seen times when our favorite team or player just isn't playing up to par. Every player goes through slumps from time to time. When players are struggling they often have teammates to try and pick them up. "You can do it man!" "Come on bro step your game up!" They know that their teammate is having problems, and they are there to give him their support.

In the game of life we all go through our down times. You feel off kilter, nothing seems to be going right, and your attitude has gone south. Sometimes you might be fortunate enough to have a family member or a co-worker notice and help pick you up. Most times it is up to our self to take notice and to pick our self up.
This is done through introspection. Introspection is the ability to honestly evaluate yourself. Sounds easy, but is it really? There are many people that have problems being honest with themselves. Every thing that happens is always someone else's fault, and never their fault. Everyone knows someone like that, and we are all guilty of it from time to time. Things aren't going right; you blame the circumstances, other people, and any other excuse you can think of instead of saying I just didn't perform as well as I could have.

Most well adjusted folks, and the ones that are most likely to learn from their mistakes, are the ones that are able to honestly evaluate them selves from time to time. Introspection will tell you when you need an attitude adjustment, when you need to try harder, when you need to be nicer to others, and when you need to step your game up.

Things happen and many times they are out of our control; but many times they are in our control and we need to recognize this. Nobody likes to get lame excuses from others, and we should not settle for them from ourselves. When you get caught up in a bad attitude, or a slump, you need to be able to give yourself a good kick in the pants and tell yourself, "I gotta step my game up!"

Your teammates in the game of life will notice.

Step Your Game Up!

In the world of team sports we have all seen times when our favorite team or player just isn’t playing up to par. Every player goes through slumps from time to time. When players are struggling they often have teammates to try and pick them up. “You can do it man!” “Come on bro step your game up!” They know that their teammate is having problems, and they are there to give him their support.

In the game of life we all go through our down times. You feel off kilter, nothing seems to be going right, and your attitude has gone south. Sometimes you might be fortunate enough to have a family member or a co-worker notice and help pick you up. Most times it is up to our self to take notice and to pick our self up.

This is done through introspection. Introspection is the ability to honestly evaluate yourself. Sounds easy, but is it really? There are many people that have problems being honest with themselves. Every thing that happens is always someone else’s fault, and never their fault. Everyone knows someone like that, and we are all guilty of it from time to time. Things aren’t going right; you blame the circumstances, other people, and any other excuse you can think of instead of saying I just didn’t perform as well as I could have.

Most well adjusted folks, and the ones that are most likely to learn from their mistakes, are the ones that are able to honestly evaluate them selves from time to time. Introspection will tell you when you need an attitude adjustment, when you need to try harder, when you need to be nicer to others, and when you need to step your game up.

Things happen and many times they are out of our control; but many times they are in our control and we need to recognize this. Nobody likes to get lame excuses from others, and we should not settle for them from ourselves. When you get caught up in a bad attitude, or a slump, you need to be able to give yourself a good kick in the pants and tell yourself, “I gotta step my game up!”

Your teammates in the game of life will notice.

Sliding Down the Razor Blade of Life

When I was a young lad, my life was one game after another; not figuratively, but literally. During the baseball season my friends, and brothers, and I, played baseball everyday. During football season, we played football, and during the winter we played hockey. It was a great childhood. When I got older, I played sports in high school. I wrestled, played football, ran track and cross country, and even lettered in golf. Those were good years also.

When I went to college I still played some inter-mural sports, but because I was paying my own way through school, I also had to work. My sports career ended on a bad note, when during a co-ed broom ball game, I caught a broom stick in the mouth by a girl who didn't know you can't throw high sticks. With two real teeth less than before, I started my working career full time.

Life has been kind of down hill ever since. Not that it has been all bad, I've raised two great kids; but now I have to face the pressures of being a grownup...everyday. My life is like a pinball machine, I bounce from one challenge, to another, to another, ad infinitum. As soon as I fix one problem, sure enough, another one comes along to take its place. I seek a respite, a break in the action, but I'm too old to play anything except cards and my TV remote.

Fortunately, I have two outlets to help me stay young in body and mind. I still run, (not as much as before 9/11, when I could put five miles in during lunch time, until airport security got too restrictive); and I still log between 12-20 miles a week. I also write a blog. Between thinking about what the hell I'm going to write about, and thinking about what the hell I'm actually writing, its a great way to get my mind off today's problems.

Well, Doc, I see my time's about up. Time to get off your couch until our next session. Thanks for listening to me, I'll see you in a couple of days.