Shrinkage

A couple months ago, I got into an argument with a friend of mine about how much I care about the Red Wings success. She would say, "Why do you invest yourself in something so meaningless? These players get payed millions of dollars to play a sport while I am doing their dirty work for little money at all. I wonder what the world would be like without sports."

I turned this around to her and asked, "Well what about authors and actors and actresses? Why do they get to make millions of dollars when all their doing is creating a fictional (or non-fictional) version of what is already out there and/or might be out there?"

It's entertainment, and it's what drives society. Without movies, without sports, without books, without the crazy crap that's on the internet, these generations in society would collapse.

What's wrong with investing yourself in something that you can't control? I love knowing that whether I want the Red Wings to win or not has no impact on the outcome of the game whatsoever. We can all sit there and watch 22 players give everything they've got to the sport that they love. And guess what? When they lose, it's okay for us to be upset. We feel cheated, like there was more they could of done to give us what we wanted.

Tiger's fans have it the worst. Not only do they have to hope for good weather in order for them to even play, but they also have to sit through 162 games. That's three different seasons of the year, partially devoted to how roughly 12 players decide to play on that day. And I say the Tiger's have it worst, because it's Detroit. They'll go 13-2 in 15 games, and then turn right around and lose eight in a row. It infuriating, you just scored 14 runs last night and you didn't even get three hits tonight? But we will dedicate a gorgeous summer evening to them, paying for tickets, parking, hot dogs and beers; and while we're doing it, we will love every second of it.

We escape from the reality that is our life.

If we didn't invest ourselves in something bigger than us, then what would their be to live for? If we think we are the biggest thing that is out around, who cares what else may be there? People do this with God too. They devote their life to Him, knowing that it is all for an unknown. The difference here is that the "championship" at the end of the season for these people, is an eternity at the hand of God, not a 35 pound hunk of metal that has a hundred other peoples names on it.

We become a part of something that thousands of people are equally a part of. No one stands out (except maybe for the girls in short skirts and an Inge jersey, or the family that decorates their entire house in Lions gear), but for the most part, we are all the same, hoping for the same thing. Our rivals are the other team, and then when they leave, we rival the next team. It's healthy, and it's fun.

It somehow happens with music too. People dedicate hours and hours just listening to music and/or playing music. We spend hundreds of dollars to go see famous people making millions of dollars sing songs that we know the words to, when all we have to do is flip on the radio to hear that same song. It's phenomenal.

There is so much variety on what you can invest yourself in, but we all need to be invested in something that isn't ourselves. Escape yourself, and allow yourself to become a part of something that you can and will not be able to control. It's called living.



Take care of yourselves, and eachother.
Dub





"...I dare you to tell me to walk through fire..."

Chapter 4 - Family

When I was little, we used to go camping all the time. We would go to a really little campground and get camp sites all next to each other (my dad has 12 siblings, so our family is quite large) so that we could always be together. We'd cook together, play games, go to the beach, etc. I remember these summers well. All the adults would be huddled around a fire drinking beer and laughing hysterically at each others stories while the kids were all running around trying to avoid being around their parents. We did this for years, and it never seemed to get old. Every summer, whether it be for Fourth of July, Labor Day, Halloween or just another weekend, we were all together, and there was always a campfire.

A lot of people drift away from their family over time. Kid's get too "old and cool" to want to spend time with their family when their together (I was very guilty of this when I was like, 13-15), and then regret that time when they get older. Others are too busy to spend time with their family, and only do every so often. Maybe it's just that you didn't have a very close family growing up and don't want to be around them anyway. If you are one of the lucky ones that has been blessed with a close family, don't let that time slip by.

When I think back to growing up around in the settings I have been placed in, I don't know how I ever could have felt unloved. Now that I'm getting older, I'm starting to see my cousins start their lives. I don't know whats weirder, seeing my older cousins have children, or my younger cousins starting to drive. My baby cousin Ang just recently got her drivers license and will be graduating from high school next year. What? When the hell did that happen?

Thinking about that has made me think about what people think of when they watched me grow up. One day, I saw one of my aunts and I was playing hockey down in Nashville on a 12U team and had a chip in my front tooth; the next time I saw her I had a mortgage. Another example: when I turned 21, all one of my closest cousins kept saying was "I can't believe he's old enough to drink with us now!" It's such an entertaining journey to think about if you ever have the time to sit down and do so. Think about relatives you know, and milestones in your life. Imagine their reaction, or what it would have been.

This past weekend I got to join both of my brothers, my dad and three of my uncles on a golf outing. I can't even start to put into words how much fun we had. Regardless of the beverages that were provided, the ability to spend that much time with people that are so much like you, that have watched you grow up or have grown up with you is such a joy. Last year I played in a softball tournament with probably 20 of my cousins. It was coed and it was in the city that a majority of my family lives in, so EVERYONE was there. Whether their kids were playing or they just wanted to come out and watch us have fun, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces, brothers and sisters were all out there. It was a very fun weekend, and I hope that anyone that gets an opportunity to do something big yet spontaneous like that takes full advantage of it.

We've recently had a couple losses on both sides of my family. My dad lost one of his sisters, and my mom her brother (my Godfather). The gratitude that both sides of the family showed for each other will never be replaced in my mind. Sometimes it's not about if you know the person that passed or not, it's about who did, and if you love that person you will be there for them in their time of need.

I understand that some families just aren't made for getting together at Christmas or going camping every summer, but that's all I've ever known. Yes, my family has it's flaws, it's bad apples and it's problems, but we work through it as one. Through every suffering and celebration, we are all here together. I guess I'm writing this to thank everyone in my family for being a part of it, and making it so great. Love you all. :]

Take care.
-Dub





"We are faaaaamily.."