Don’t worry. I’m not starting a movement or putting together a book just yet.
Harmonism is still some time away. Flawed, failed and a roller coaster ride inside my Dome that I’ve acknowledged extensively here and frequently on my nightly show on FOX Sports Radio. Hell, read my Twitter comments on a given day and there are plenty of folks lining up to call me every name in the books.
Most of those are easy to dismiss. Context and short attention span theater come into play. Sometimes, I get caught up in the Monday AM Quarterbacking, second-guessing analogies or the pop culture situations applied to analysis.
On Monday night, the Bills and Bengals were midway through the first quarter of an important Week 17 battle. Bills DB Damar Hamlin tackled Tee Higgins - and everything stopped. Medical personnel administered CPR and operated a defibrillator on the field. Our show was four hours of covering this story and its different angles - human and business. After an hour delay, the game was finally postponed. How and why and what occurred can be found in the podcasts of the show on all audio platforms.
For my part, I was drawn to the human side of it - Hamlin the man, his family and the impact of this situation to Hamlin’s teammates and coaches, Higgins and the Bengals, the fans in attendance and the millions watching … including the players, families and friends across the NFL. And, of course, you try to make sense of timelines and the decision trees, the optics of said decisions and, of course, all of it informed by your own experiences.
I’ve had several close calls of my own - once passing out awaiting a Rolling Stones concert and one huge car wreck. Add a couple medical emergencies and you’ve got a base of experience and emotion from which to build. I’ve witnessed the defibrillator applied to a neighbor - it did not revive her.
All of that to say. We’re blessed to get another opportunity to do what we like/ love with each wake-up. It’s nothing revelatory, but billions of dollars each year are spent in the pursuit of unlocking that recognition. Find the best of situations that you’re in —- you can’t always unring the bell of past mistakes and bad decisions. People, employers and Father Time can’t/won’t always forgive or work through such. Recognize those errors, and wake up to be better.
Which brings to today’s wake-up. I peeled carrots for my daughter’s lunch and went to throw away the residue, Garbage can was full. Recycling bin was full and overflowing. A million things flash through the head and the obvious potential responses. I get paid to be snarky and cynical, for crying out loud.
I chuckled and got it ready for the walk to the dumpsters. Blessed, given those examples here and many more unwritten, to be able to connect and play a role. I’ll never get back what’s lost — but I try to celebrate and support/prop up what’s left.
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We’ve had a running bit for years in the house based on a CBS This Morning piece done on Bruce Springsteen. The gist of it is this — Play to 75,000 people at night. Still the guy that has to get up and make the pancakes the next morning. Just Dad.
You can read a more in-depth dive into this part of The Boss’ home life here. Springsteen Makes Pancakes
Take out the trash. Make the pancakes. And try to do some good locally - your house and relationships - and where you can, maybe reach out to a larger space and community.
The NFL community, led by #BillsMafia, came together in grand fashion to support Damar Hamlin’s charity - a toy drive for a daycare center in McKees Rocks, PA. Hundreds of thousands of donors have contributed over $4.7 million as of this writing. That’s right. $4.7 million.
Click to read about Hamlin’s charity
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