Beautiful day, typical Colorado gem. I love living here, would gladly travel anywhere, but certain that I would end up here. I've never lived more than 30 miles from right here, my parents, ditto, my kids the same. Having roots is mostly a blessing. If those roots keep you firmly and comfortably planted in a nurturing and comfortable place, you're lucky. Some people are smothered and overwhelmed by their surroundings and never seem to grow, always seeming to spend life in the shadows. Or, they wander from place to place like nomads looking for the next oasis. I am fortunate to know a lot of folks who, like me, have been around these parts for a long time. I'm not saying that I'm unlucky to also know people who aren't from 'round here, just that it's so good to share communion with friends that you have known your whole life. I am reminded of this because I have attended numerous gatherings recently to celebrate the life, and to mourn the passing of a friend. Each life is a unique and precious mosaic of experience and affect. I shall not dwell here too long on the meaning of life and death, except to say that if we expressed our feelings for someone while they are alive, instead of waiting until they are gone, we'd all be happier for it. Ah, but I guess that's all part of human nature.
Another facet of modern human nature, is the awesome (not necessarily in a good way) urge that many have to project their thoughts and feelings out there to the world in an instantaneous manner. It's a lot like farting for a large audience. I'm referring to the technologies of Twitter/Tweet, Facebook, MySpace, IM, MMS, etc. News, and garbage, fly across the globe instantly, as it is happening. In some ways, this is a good thing. In my opinion, in most ways, it is over-kill. So much time and energy is consumed by present perceptions, that too many people cannot literally see the forest for the trees. Political process, sports news, tragic accidents, gossip, vanity ........ nothing is sacred. Jay Cutler was on the bench two minutes into the second half, and thousands of people world-wide were castrating him for being a quitter. The sentiment spread like wildfire, and before the game was over, even fellow professional football players were labeling poor Jay as a lily-livered, yellow-bellied, chicken-hearted, thumb-sucking baby of a quarterback. Combined with the relative lack of coherent action and post-game comments by the Chicago Bears' coaching and medical staff, the criticisms escalated. High-profile commentators like Michael Irvin, Marshall Faulk, Mark Schlereth, Warren Sapp went on the air and said that Cutler should have tried harder to play in such an important game. But, this is more about the manner in which Jay Cutler was perceived BEFORE the game against the Packers last Sunday. He has exhibited a detached, arrogant, surly and aloof manner consistently, ever since he came into the public eye. And I can sort of understand how difficult it must be to be under the microscope constantly. To my estimation and observation, he has not made many friends with his personality and exhibition of character. Present and past teammates and coaches seem to be indifferent in their praise of him, while being very effusive about his talent. So, it's easy to dismiss him as one of those "million-dollar arm, with a fifty-cent brain" types. Especially since there are so many athletes that are admired for their class and character. And, if you were to believe the 'experts', why, sitting out a championship football game with an injured knee is MUCH MUCH worse than admitting to the sexual assault of a woman (Roethlisberger). Deferring to a medical opinion that your leg cannot allow you to play football effectively is WAY more atrocious than getting caught using crack cocaine and paying for prostitutes (Irvin). I'm just sayin'.
Life is a fragile phenomenon. Human nature lets us almost ignore the delicate balance between living and not. One minute you are, the next you're not. It's there for all of us, and yet we have the insular ability to proceed each and every day as if we shall live forever. That's a good thing, not to be cowered by the certainty of our mortality. We all need to forge ahead mindful that we are not alone in our journey, and allow others to touch and be touched (no, not that way Ben!). Be mindful of the others around you and conduct your life as if there's somebody following you around tweeting your every move. Because, you never know, lots of people are on the prowl for that special YouTube moment, and it wouldn't be cool to be remembered forever for farting in the church of cyberspace.
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