Football, my old friend

It's been a long, long summer. The Braves have been out of the playoff hunt for some time now and I quickly found myself looking forward to football season.

I don't think there is anything more uniquely American than our love of football. For many it consumes our entire weekend--high school on Friday nights, college on Saturdays (or Fridays, or Thursdasy, and sometimes even Wednesdays) and NFL on Sundays and Monday nights. I love just chillin' at home on Sundays watching whatever game is on and watching my fantasy teams rack up the points. I might be inspired enough to do a load of laundry or clean up the kitchen with one eye on the game, but whatever the circumstance football is on my mind. I find myself looking forward to it on Fridays at work, or on Saturday mornings while doing a chore or two.

I'm not sure why it is we love football so much. Maybe is the spectacle of the game. The physical demand on the players is so great that they can only play once a week, so the build up is half the fun. Maybe it's the strategy. Coaches spend countless hours studying their opponents, developing game plans, drawing up plays and meeting with their players. Maybe it's the athleticism. Players spend countless hours studying playbooks, practicing plays, lifting weights, conditioning their bodies, selling their endorsed products... oh, wait, that's got nothing to do with football. Maybe it's the pagentry. Grand stadiums are built, fans adorn their bodies with their teams colors, parking lots are packed with tailgaters, fireworks and giant helmets welcome players onto the field.

I don't know what excitely attracts us to this game. I suppose it's different for everyone. I for one love to watch a well excecuted gameplan by my favorite team, or gasp as the quarterback the sends a bomb down the field. Whatever it is, I'm ready for some football.

My Bucket List

My wife and I recently rented the movie The Bucket List. It's worth a watch if you haven't seen it yet. Pretty simple plot: two guys meet in a hospital, both are only given a few months to live, so they try to accomplish a few things together in their final days.

It gets you thinking about your life and what you want to accomplish before God calls you home. So here is my bucket list. I'm sure it will see several revisions in the years to come, but here's the first draft.

My Bucket List
In no particular order

• Baptize my son.
• Take my wife on a vacation around Europe.
• Take my wife to New York City. See a show, stroll through Central Park, etc.
• See the Grand Canyon (from the ground, I've seen it from an airplane).
• See the Giant Sequoias.
• Go deep sea fishing.
• Buy a home for my family.
• Drive across the country in an RV with my family.
• Teach my son one thing he will never forget.
• Buy my grand kids an ice cream cone.
• See the Cubs play at Wrigley Field.
• See the Braves play at Turner Field.
• See the Broncos play at Mile High.
• Do something totally unexpected for someone I love.
• Build something that will outlive me.
• ...

What's on your bucket list?

Worthless Sporting News of the Day

The NBA Draft -- I probably should care because a Kansas State Wildcat was selected as the No. 2 overall pick, but even as an alumni of that fine institute of academic and athletic dominance (don't snicker) I just really don't care. Plus, he would have never played college ball if not for the NBA's ridiculous rules.

The NBA to me is hardly more than a showcase of filthy-rich athletes playing a style of basketball slightly more organized than a driveway pick up game. The difference between college and professional basketball is unmatched by any other sport. I speak mostly out of ignorance of the finer points of the game, but I've heard the same sentiment from many other sports fans and commentators, so I'm sticking with it.

Share a Smile

I'm continually amazed at my son's ability to elicit a smile from even the most random of strangers. A couple weeks ago I took him for a walk around our neighborhood in his stroller. We came across an older couple (retirement age) who were absolutely smitten with my son. They caught sight of him and stopped to say hello. My son immediately gave them his patented toothless smile. They both chuckled and smiled back.

At any store it's the same story. We'll go through checkout line and the clerk will take a moment to say hello. My son will grin wide enough for them to see through his ever present pacifier. Often the clerk will say something like "What a cute baby," or "He's so happy." Today in the airport he exchanged smiles with a lady for several minutes while we waited to get his stroller tagged. She was standing 20 feet away, but that didn't stop him from engaging with her.

It makes my wife and I feel good that our baby can bring joy into people's lives. There is something about the innocence of a child that attracts people and breaks down barriers. Sometimes so much so that people even touch your baby without an invitation. But it doesn't bother you because they are just enjoying a pleasant moment with another human being.

I'm confident that we as adults still have the same ability to break down barriers with a simple smile, but we are all too jaded to let our guards down enough to allow someone else to elicit any kind of emotional response. It's sad really. Sure we trade a passing smile from time to time, but when do we ever take genuine interest in the life of a total stranger. I'm not talking about making funny noises and tickling each other's feet like you would to a baby. I'm just talking about some good, old fashioned Mayberry kindness. It's a shame what we've become...

But I can't leave you on that note. Instead, watch this video clip. I'm sure you've seen it before, but it never gets old. Enjoy and remember to share a smile with someone today.

Father's Day: Part I - The Adventure Begins

Act I
Scene 1 - We find our hero lazily sleeping in bed. His wife is feeding their child breakfast and sprucing up the house a bit. Our hero, Kevin, wakes up with thoughts of how much he has looked forward to this day. More so than even his own birthday. Thoughts of spending the day with his family, his two favorite people, run through his head.

Scene 2 - Kevin and his family eat breakfast and get ready for church.

Scene 3 - The family goes to church. Childcare is full so they take their son into service with them.

Scene 4 - The congregation sings "It Is Well." Kevin finds the song fitting since he is familiar with the story behind the hymn. The preaches deliver the message in the style of SportsCenter/PTI while his son grows restless.

Scene 5 - The family heads home before the end of service resigned to catch the message on the internet at a later time.

Act II
Scene 1 - Kevin opens his Father's Day gifts. He already knows what they are, but is excited nonetheless. He fells a bit like a kid in that way.

Scene 2 - It's nap time for everyone and the boy is pretty fussy. His wife puts him in bed between both of them figuring that will help put the boy at ease. Our hero quietly watches as his family naps peacefully beside him. He thinks to himself, there isn't much he rather be watching more.

Act III
Scene 1 - The family heads to Target to pick out a kiddie pool. Kevin wanted to get the boy out for a little splash time.

Scene 2 - They all head to WW Cousins for greasy hamburgers and onion rings. It's dad's day after all.

Act IV
Scene 1 - Kevin prepares the kiddie pool while his wife makes a few plans for their impending trip to California.

Scene 2 - The water in the pool was a bit too cool for his son so in order to comfort him, Kevin had to cram his man-sized frame into a three-and-a-half-feet wide pool. He thinks to himself, there is no where else he'd rather be.

Act V
Scene 1 - The day winds down on the couch as our hero watches the drama of the US Open play out on television. He thinks to himself, what a great day.

The End