“ Yeah, Here We Go!” Chapter 65

If you watched football this season or follow me on Facebook, you know the Dallas Quarterback pre-snap cadence includes the phrase “Yeah, here we go." This phrase prepared the offense to be ready for the snap. Every team has a unique cadence and calls for their plays hoping for a victory.

As a fan, we watch with anticipation and hope our team will win. There are fans from every level. From the “Yeah sports, I just want everyone to have fun and get along" to the true “fanatics“ who have a man/woman cave, tattoos and clothing, and every conversation is about their team winning the championship.  I am pretty sure you know someone from every level in between, as well.

I would say I am in the middle of the pack.  I have and enjoy fan wear, decoration, and talking smack about the Dallas Cowboys. Before the game I believe they will win, and talk smack about the other team. During the game I cheer when ahead, and hope to the last minute they will come back. After, I'll brag “We Dem Boyz” or listen to the haters talk smack about how they lost. No matter the outcome, the game doesn’t change me or my life emotionally or physically.

A few years ago, Laura and I were at a Superbowl party at a “fanatics” house when the Patriots lost to the Giants. Like a true smack talking New Yorker, I was razzing our friends the whole game. When the Patriots lost, my friend and his son were so distraught that they were crying and all the guests left within 10 minutes. We all wondered if he realized how he affected the night. Don't get me wrong I get loud and cheer during the game , but I don't let it determine my emotions after.

Last week, when the Cowboys played like poop and lost in the first round, boy did I hear about it. Again, I was confident at the beginning and hopeful to the end. I had to endure all the comments on Facebook and text but what I did not do was cry and let the loss affect my life. If I let the results of the Cowboys not winning playoff games get to me, my life would have sucked for the past 28 years. I would have missed out on so many wonderful events.

The point is, we sometimes let events we have no control over affect us. So I ask you, is there something that you have allowed to consume you and affect all parts of your life? Are you a “fanatic “ that when your team loses, you get upset and take it out on those around you? Maybe it’s not in the context of sports, but work, relationships, or something else. Do you have a person or place to turn to to help you on those days your team loses? Here’s a tip: it’s not alcohol. That just makes you a drunk ass instead of a sober ass.  Can you imagine someone with ALS pissed off every day, drinking alcohol through our PEGs? We'd be driving our wheelchairs... not good.

I have ALS, the Cowboys lost in the playoffs again, and I can’t eat gelato anymore. Should I let this consume me? HELL NO. I enjoy what God provides me. Over the years, my friends continue to surprise me with gifts of Cowboys gear and other items.  Friends have sent me a penny with a cross cut out of it, a prayer bracelet, drawings, and other items. These are things I allow to pour into my life - affecting me in the right way. Small things are gifts of love, not anger.

I have also found that football hasn’t damaged my life either, but it has enhanced it by bringing me closer to people. Simply telling someone I am a Cowboys fan has opened up many conversations.

So go ahead and root for the home team. Wear the swag and jump up and down when they are winning or losing, but when the game is over, enjoy what you have and the people around you.  You see it is not what sports team you like or if they win or lose that matters - it’s the connection to people who enjoy them that matters. Go Cowboys!

Love and blessings