Spectators for Life…

I recently had a discussion with a friend about being “a tourist in life”; not participating in life but coasting along with work and family. I thought about that statement for awhile and had to disagree with their assessment. To me life is like a game. Any game really….. basketball, football, baseball, etc. And just as in any team sport we all have our role to play.

There’s the coach who teaches us, pats us on the back and kicks us in the butt when we need it. He gives us a path to follow and then leaves it up to us to decide if we follow his plan or go out on our own. There is the quarterback, the play caller, the person who everyone looks to for leadership…… and then everyone follows. That person who holds the team together in winning seasons and through losses.

And then you have “the team“… the supporting cast. The linemen, the starters, the outfielders and bench warmers. All those people who together form a unit, a family, the team. The quarterback couldn’t be in the game without the other 10 people on the field with him. The “Michael Jordan” of the team couldn’t win the first championship with out the other four starters and subs surrounding him…. supporting him….. making his game better…. making him better than he really is.

Then we have the cheerleaders who keep everyone motivated and focused and involved in the game. Everyone has one in their family. That person who rallies the troops, always has an “everything will be OK’ or positive life lesson to share. That person who sees you at your worst and still comes back the next day to cheer you on.

And then there is the spectator…those people who love the game. Love the players. Love the thrill of that touchdown pass. Scream until they are hoarse. Can recite statistics of players, teams, seasons. Make sacrifices to be at every game. They are loyal during the winning seasons but more importantly during the losing seasons. They are not participants in the game but the game does not exist without them….. they are the protectors of the game. Those die hard fans who will defend their team to the end….

Last week Magnolia Son made a donation to the Kemper County football program to assist them in sending 14 of their players to summer camp. We wish Coach Jones and his team the best for the upcoming 2016 football season.