Due to my husband's influence I have joined the legions of football fans; mostly NFL but some college. It has become a special weekly event for my hubby and I as we don our black and gold. I try to dress our son in the appropriate spirit wear as well. However he usually cheers from his crib as it is either bedtime or naptime. We do look forward to sharing this tradition with him. I won't get started ranting about athlete salaries because that leads to celebrity and politicians vs military, teachers, fire personnel. But the game does unite communities, families, and sometimes loners. My hubby is from New Orleans and it is the city where we met. It holds a special place in both our hearts. We felt the loss as Katrina damaged and destroyed a beautiful piece of our country. But the people rallied. Did the Saints heal the city? They certainly helped strengthen that amazing community spirit. I witnessed Katrina's destruction but I also celebrated in the French Quarter after the Saints won their first SuperBowl. It truly was a memory of a lifetime. We might not have ran the field but in our hearts we matched them yard for yard. As I gain knowledge and seek healthier alternatives in my daily choices I have a newfound respect for athletes. They don't take care of their bodies for simply appearances. They do it for performance and functionability. They fight for their livelihood. Day in and day out they push, they strain, they refrain, and hope to avoid injury. So when they not only accomplish their goal but surpass everyone's expectations; including their own. They celebrate. They create humorous, touching, or offensive actions to celebrate their hard work. And when we're rooting for that team we too share the victory and celebrate accordingly.
Could you imagine how different life would be if we shared our victory dances and joined others in theirs? When someone earns an A we applauded instead of whispered "they must have cheated." Or when someone loses ten pounds we cheered instead of sneered. Maybe we don't need to pat others' fannies but we all could pass more pats on the back around. We are quick to criticize - everyone, especially ourselves. And with such critical eyes we forget to shout our Hoorays!
My son is at that fun age where he is starting to mimick adult patterns. We applaud his victories and nine times out of ten he stops to applaud with us with joy in his eyes. And I get the distinct feeling he is applauding our applause. His response is so genuine it brightens my mood, lightens my stress, and reminds me that we all do need a victory dance. We need the victory dance; to celebrate, to encourage, and to connect.
May your HealthFULL Journey be full of victory dances for yourself and for those you cherish. We all deserve a celebration. ' Til we meet again. . .
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