"winning" on the road

maybe you watched the super bowl last night. in the world's eyes there was one winner and one loser. only one team can win... right?

i find it funny to hear all these kids on sports teams now not keeping score. they are being taught that all are winners. and no matter how they play they win. but the kids no which team is better. they knew who really won.

i remember my first year in little league we won 2 games out of 15 games. that by any standard is not good, but i found out what defeat felt like. but i learned that year that did not need to be upset about losing. the other team was obviously better. i learned to be a good loser.

but just because you stink doesnt mean you cant develop, grow and train to become better. the next two years we improved and by the time our team was together 4 years we were winning every game, not just winning but absolutely destroying the other teams, usually by the mercy rule. one thing though, we knew what defeat felt like so we did not rub it in on the other team, we went through the line and said good game. we learned to be good grace filled winners.

this past year has been a rough one for jenny and i, with the loss of my job. it was pretty rough. we struggled and at times still struggle with what happened. today marks 7 months since it happened.

i found a job pretty quickly working with people who have mental illness with a big percentage who struggle with substance abuse. the large majority have been homeless and without our organization and the funding of taxpayers would not have housing now. our goal is to help them transition into living a successful life.

the people come from all walks of life. some were very successful had great lives and had a bad stretch in which they are still trying to rebound from. they have spent a good portion of their life winning and now are on the losing side.

others have had history of abuse, going from foster home to group home to being kicked out of the system at 18. in many ways they have spent their life losing. i have learned a lot from each and every one of them.

winning for some of them comes one day at a time. we have celebrated a couple people being sober for 18 months. while others we have been ecstatic when they are able to go a week. for others we are ecstatic when someone cleans their apartment without being prompted. while other we are excited that they get out of bed for more than 4 hours that day. each person is in their own place in learning to be successful. last week someone road to bus for the first time in 2 years. it was an exciting day for me.

a couple weeks ago i went to a seminar that discussed strength based growth. you grow by focusing on what you are good at. when you win at this, it builds up your confidence. it shows you are able to grow and be successful at one thing or the other. when you master one thing then you start building another.

so last night when i, a big fan of the Patriots saw them lose a heart breaking, gut wrenching game and my friends saw that i was pretty calm and not upset, they asked me. "i thought you were a big fan. why arent you more upset." i paused and smiled its only a game... and unless you are a true sincere Giants fan, my team did a lot better than your team. :)

Superbowl thoughts and predictions

The Patriots are in there fifth Superbowl in eleven years and I am excited. Even more excited then the previous four games. Maybe it is because we have cable for the first time in these five games and I am able to take in more of the interviews and different stories that are on. I love hearing the stories of the individual athletes and where they have come from to overcome adversity.

A few years ago they announced the Superbowl was going to be hosted by Indy. We were living there at the time. Everybody knew that Indy and New England is always one of the funnest games of the year because of the competitive nature between the two teams and the two best quarterbacks in the league. (Brady/Pats have won 9 of the 14 games) and one of the Pats losses was when Brady tore his ACL with Matt Cassel playing QB. But even back then I thought it would be awesome for the Pats to win the Superbowl in Indy, and that hope has a chance to come to fruition this Sunday.

I have heard that Las Vegas favors New England by three points, and that Las Vegas is usually correct, the house always wins. All the commentators are picking the Giants. They say the matchups favor the Giants. The two factors that the Patriots have are Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. They have won more than any other quarterback/ coach combo than any in history. The Patriots game plays change from game to game and I would like to add from quarter to quarter. They react better than any other team out there.

Commentators talk a lot about the week 9 loss to the Giants, but what they do not mention is that was the last loss the Patriots experienced this season.

Commentators talk a lot about the Patriots being 31st in yards allowed on defense but they forget to mention that they only allow 21.4 pts a game which puts them 15th on the team list. Does not make them seem near as bad a defense does it. The Patriots have an excellent red zone defense that makes teams settle for field goals.

The Patriots have come a long way as a team. They have come through most of their injuries the offensive line is finally healthy for the first time since half way through the regular season. Benjarvus is a stud who has never fumbled (knock on wood). The secondary has made some amazing plays including the game winning swipe from a receiver in the end zone in the closing minute of the AFC championship. They have been building their confidence. Gronk will play and have an amazing game. Their will be surprises like the Patriots always have.

This will be a close game, and people from our small group will probably see a new side of me as I yell at the tv and pig out on wings and pigs in a blanket. We will laugh at some commercials and question what is that advertising with others. The food will be good, the company will be fun and The Patriots will win this game 24-21.