While watching the Bears game today, I got a text from Badass mentioning how good the Bears looked. I texted back, expressing how happy I was about that very fact. He said I must be extra happy that his team, a Bears rival, had lost. At this point, I had just gotten into my car and heard that with 4 seconds left in the game, his team had tied it up and gone into OT. Confused, I texted back--
Me: Did you turn off the TV too soon? I heard they were in OT.
B: Oh shit. You're right!
Me: And you were gonna give up... :)
B: Wouldn't you?!
Me: I always watch till the end. I'm an optimist, remember?
B: Of course you are!
His team won a few minutes later, and as I got out of my car and started to walk home, I started laughing to myself. Sure, we were talking about football, but I couldn't help but see a bigger metaphor.
There really are two types of people in this world--those who turn off the TV, and those who hold out hope until the buzzer sounds. The pessimist. The optimist. I'm not saying anything about my dear Badass. And I'm not saying one is right or wrong or better or worse. It was just a reminder to me that with "4 seconds left," I never think it's over. I need to remember that about myself. Sometimes, I need to remember that's a wonderful part of me--it makes a beam of light, and it makes me tenacious. And sometimes, I need to remember that it makes it very hard to let go, move on, and, G-d forbid, give up.
Hours later, I was getting back to my place again, and my phone beeped. Badass's phone had re-sent me a message: "Wouldn't you?!" I smiled. I felt like the world wanted me to hold on to that thought, ask myself that question one more time. Wouldn't you? Wouldn't you give up? Wouldn't you turn of the metaphoric TV?
No. I wouldn't.
Then I thought, maybe the world wants me to pass this valuable question on to all of you. I think we can all benefit from knowing these things about ourselves, eh? So I'll just simply leave it here as a question to think about, to reflect on, to learn from. So:
When you're down by 3, and you've got 4 seconds on the clock, would you believe you can do it?
(I hope so...)
