Bob Haases Another Can Of Worms

Life’s Lessons from Football

I think most of us are still in shock after the Packer’s loss to the Seahawks last Sunday.  I think most of us felt the Packers should have won that one and they should have. After the game I got to thinking about how football is a lot like life and how that game really highlights that comparison.  This might even justify the time you and I spend watching football.

The Packers played some great football most of the season when they needed to accept in the last five minutes of the last game that decided their fate for going on to the Super Bowl.  During our lifetime we encounter many obstacles that can determine our fate in life. How we handle each situation can have a bearing on our outcome in life just as each game the Packer’s play determined their post season outcome.  Once we make it through our working life and play all the games we also have a post season called retirement.

Every play in a game of football is important and everything we do in life has its consequences.  Most of the plays we make in life can have even greater consequences than the plays made in football.  If a player muffs the ball and the other team gets it, it could make the difference of winning and losing.  If we fail to stop at one stop light we also risk something even more important and that is losing our life or someone else’s.

I guess what I am trying to say that we face some of the same things in life as we do in football, but some people seem more concerned about their game of football than their game of life. They both have consequences, but when we lose in the game of life we may not have another season.  We need to plan our game of life just like the coach prepares for the next weeks game. We need to execute the things we do in life just like a player does in football.

I made it to the post season called retirement and have been there for a while.  It is the greatest game I have ever played and I am enjoying life because I also planned for the post season.  The rewards are something like winning the super bowl but in this case it is the super bowl of life.  Sometimes you win a game because of your skills and other times you just get lucky.  Many times it is a combination of both, but I have my health, my family, and some great friends so what more could I want?  I didn’t mention money because even though you also need some of that, it is not as important as health, family, and friends. 

Each one of us is a player and each one of us will get our chance to play in the game.  Some will play better than others and some will win more games, and the outcome is really up to us.  Play each event as if it meant something because it does.  The Packer’s may have lost the game with the Seahawks this last weekend and even with their melt down in the last five minutes, they are still winners in my book.  They played hard, they tried their best, and gave us something to cheer about most of the season.  We can’t always win, but we can always try to do our best.  When we do we are all winners.  

Bob Haase is the host of “Outdoors Thursday” heard Thursday mornings at 9:10 a.m. on News-Talk 1450 KFIZ.