Day: December 31, 2020

It is time.

I thought about titling this blog ‘Once Upon a New Year’s Eve’ but I thought to myself, what better symbol of change and rejuvenation than to turn the dial on this ten minute rule. As of today we are in the 6th iteration of the blog. Some lasted a year, some longer. Each phase change rang out like a gunshot in my life, showcasing the moments that I moved from what I was to what I am fast becoming.

Today I am starting my new novel. Yesterday I finished a novella draft (long overdue) which was not representative of my best work. It felt like the past. It felt like letting go of a way of being, but also felt like me getting things done. In other words it harkens back to an ancient meme and one of my earliest blog statements, “Finally got my shit together.”

It feels that way. It feels like I made it to the staircase to start climbing towards actually being in the sort of life I’ve long intended. Intent matters, but action matters just as much. I am in a space where the words will flow daily, and all that remains is to figure out the where and when. The universe is giving me a lot of time to work things out, and though this 2021 is a bad place to be in financially, it is a place where opportunity abounds and the time to seize upon those chances is available. I am going to struggle–both with the words and the relationships that fuel me, but I know the struggle has a purpose and ultimately both come from a place of love.

So, on this New Year’s eve I write with purpose and promise, looking forward into the future and believing that good is yet to come. The best is yet to come. I believe that my kaizen is growing and I have a chance to decide who I want to be from here forward. Always forward.

Some Thoughts:

1. I love coaching. That being said, I am done coaching youth football as of this day. The mental energy I attached to the endeavor is better spent elsewhere and there are more qualified people than I to be on the sideline. It will take real time for this to settle in, but there it is…

This is the final week of the season for my last of three leagues. I lost in all three. Oddly, I was 7th in all three. 777 though one had 8 and the others had 12 and 16 members respectively. That is not a good showing and wasn’t enough to be a playoff contender in any but the 3rd. That obviously did not go well. Strangely, I was tops in scoring in one of the 3 and right up there in another. It all came down to luck and a few bad picks throughout the season. Apparently fantasy football is a game of inches.

On the Madden front the new season continues. I played the defending Super Bowl champions and lost, because I blew a rather large lead by messing around and leaning on bench players, being too relaxed on defense and trying new stuff out, and flat out not executing down the stretch. We will see them again in the playoffs.

This is how it used to be with games for me. There was always a story involved. It wasn’t just pixels on a screen but characters I got behind and followed and appreciated and this league does that for me. My boys are engaged and I am engaged in the league as well.

Speaking of the boys, the youngest got selected to the state all star squad for 11yr olds. Nice nod for the kid. It involves a road trip to Texas that he will be making without me. That is a first for us both. He needs the nudge. He needs to be on a team where I am not involved, so we can see what kind of player he becomes standing on his own two legs. I feel like he is ready for the challenge.

The sports year has been a strange one. As we careen into 2021 I wonder if the new will be any sort of upgrade from the old. We could all use an upgrade from the nightmare of 2020. It wasn’t just the poorly managed response to the virus either. The year flat out sucked. I am grateful that tomorrow is the last day I need to be associated with it.

Some Thoughts:

1. I’ll be teaming up with The Center for Science and the Imagination and the Critical Distance website next month for an essay jam. The topic is Covid-19 and gaming. Basically I will be writing micro essays over a few days discussing the intersection between the virus and games. I intend to write out my drafts in this space (over the course of 10 minutes, of course) and publish final drafts over there for their collection. Stay tuned!