January 24, 2022
OOOOOOWWWWWEEEE! What a weekend for football fans…
Ever since I was young, I’ve been a HUGE football fan. I would spend all day Sunday, Monday nights and even Thursday nights watching professional football. I'm not much into college football. Probably because I went to a Division III school and our team wasn’t that great.
However, over the past few years, I haven’t watched the NFL as much as I used to. Partly because I still stand with Colin Kaepernick but also, because chemotherapy changed my brain. I’m not exactly sure what happened and why it affected my ability to watch football, but it did. It’s difficult to watch the football players hit each other so hard while they’re tackling. Because of that, I only watch bits and pieces of a game, because my heart (and head) won’t allow me to make it though the entire game.
However, I had fallen this past Friday and was laid out the entire weekend because of it. Since I couldn’t do much of anything, I decided to watch the four NFL Playoffs games. Oh my goodness! EVERY. GAME. WAS. EXCITING and fun to watch…especially for those of us who didn’t have any skin in the game. As a Clevelander, I will continue to cheer for the Cleveland Browns until the day I die. But just like the Browns’ organization/team, I was at home watching the playoffs.
The outcome for each of the four football games was determined by the last play of the game…each one. Exciting, indeed. However, the Sunday night game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills was EPIC, EXHILARATING and EXCELLENCE (in action).
This game was probably the best game I’ve ever watched. Both teams played flawlessly. It went down to the wire. With only two minutes left, we still wasn't sure who was going win. The teams kept going back and forth, back and forth scoring. However, it seemed the game was pretty much over when the Buffalo Bills took a 3-point lead with only 13 seconds left in the game. Thirteen seconds.
The head coach of the Chiefs, Andy Reid, told his quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, “When it’s grim, be the Grim Reaper.” Mahomes must’ve have taken him literally because he caused the death of the Bills 2021-2022 football season. He marched his team down the field and the Chiefs ended the Bills season by scoring a field goal to tie the game and subsequently scoring a touchdown in overtime.
When I think back to the last 13 seconds of regulation, it was easy to count the Chiefs. I mean, there was only 13 seconds left and the Chiefs were starting their drive at their own 20 yard line. They needed to march up to score a touchdown to win or kick a field goal to tie the game. In 13 seconds, but the Chiefs were able to get in three plays to keep them in the game, which ultimately led them to winning.
This made me think about how we can flipped those 13 seconds on life, especially for those of us who are mature. Sometimes, life makes us think that because most of our life is behind us, the best part of our lives live there, too. That’s not true, unless we allow it to be. It doesn't matter how much little time we think we have. We don't know when our last day is going to be, but it doesn't matter. What matters is that it’s never too late to go after what you want. You can still WIN in life. That means it's never too late to go after your dreams. It's never too late to figure out your purpose and live in it.
Thirteen seconds may’ve seem like a short amount of time in the football game, but it was enough time to change the outcomes of the game. Just like the them, we can choose to believe that our last “13 seconds” can change the outcomes of our lives. We, too, can win. We can live a BIGGER, FULLER and PURPOSEFUL life as long as if we believe we can. There is always time for us to make an impact, even when things may look as though it's over. You just have to have the heart. If you have the resolve and belief, you can change your life drastically.
“Waste your money and you're only out of money, but waste your time and you've lost a part of your life.” - Michael LeBoeuf
I will leave you with the following questions for your reflection:
Q: What dream(s) have you given up on?
Q: What three plays can you make in your “13 seconds” to help you WIN in life?
Q:What impact can you make while you’re here?
As long as you have breath, there is more for you to do…
IT’S NOT TOO LATE!