By: Kenneth E. Boone, Sr.
Celia and I don't live in the most affluent part of town, but it's still a very nice area. What I find interesting is the number of Teslas I see driving around in my neighborhood and around town. How can so many people afford a car that can cost up to $100k when the economy is supposed to suck? I'm Ken Boone. Welcome to my Podcast, “MUCH MORE TO SAY” Greetings, my friends. I hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving Day with family and friends. And I pray that you survived Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday without overspending or getting trampled by the crowds. For the tenth straight year, Celia and I decided to sit out the shopping frenzy. We kept it simple again, only getting gifts for Kenny and our granddaughter, Amina. And since they prefer Amazon gift cards, shopping for them is a mouse click away. Today happens to be “Giving Tuesday”, with the airwaves full of requests from dozens of worthy causes. I was going to make a donation to the Warming Station sponsored by my Kenny in Atlanta, but he told me that he had all the necessary funding in place. That's okay, I'll find something else to donate to. I started this episode by observing the number of Teslas and other high-priced cars on the roads of Huntersville. And while I'm being nosy, I'm also noticing the price of new and existing homes in my town. In fact, just over ten years ago, the development next to mine was advertising new homes from the just north of $300,000. Today, the sign reads that homes are “priced to sell” at over $900,000, with families lined up to tour the model homes. The point I'm trying to make is that while people are complaining about how bad the economy is, high-priced items are still flying off the shelves. I usually don't complain about what I don't have, but I can't help feeling a little envious toward those who can afford those toys. You don't have to have a degree in accounting or economics to have a practical knowledge of business cycles or economic upturns and downturns. That's because we feel them in our daily lives. Simply put, what goes up, must come down. While I am not poor, I'm also not as liquid as I'd like to be. It would be easy to point directly to a past domestic relationship as the root of my current financial woes, but that wouldn't be entirely true. All I had to do was just say no. Nearly two years ago, I recorded and published an episode that I titled “Doing Frugal Well”, where I shared with you my financial ups and downs. I also talked about some of the issues couples face if can't handle the inevitable money woes. To paraphrase that great American songwriter, Billy Joel, couples tend to fight when money gets tight. I've experienced that more than a few times. I'm grateful that obsessing over money isn't something I no longer have to deal with. Not since meeting Celia. I found that being happy in my life and marriage has allowed me to feel abundant in lean times. We're experienced enough to know that those lean times are often temporary. This year I played it safe by only leaving the house to go to the grocery store. I didn't bite on all the ads for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. But I'm not totally in the clear. You see, for me, December is annual checkup/follow-up month. I've been getting urgent emails, texts, and voicemails reminding me that I need to schedule various tests and appointments to check the status of my different diagnoses. Each message has a certain air of urgency attached, like it's a matter of life and death. Unlike in the world of commerce, they don't tell you how much their services cost. They just pop you in the examination room, chat for about fifteen minutes, refill your prescriptions, and send you down the hall for more blood work. That gets kind of old after a while. While I never downplay the importance of these doctors and the great work they do, I can't keep letting them freak me out. I did after my heart-related episode, when my first primary care provider kept sending for almost weekly testing. And the tests weren't for my heart, which is why I sought medical care in the first place. It wasn't until I ran up a bill in the thousands just for bloodwork, that I put a stop to all of the nonsense and changed providers.NOTE: I don't know why it takes very little to set me off when it comes to my past and current health care providers. I know they aren't scamming me, but I resent the fact that, other than my former cardiologist, Dr. V., they have little regard for my fiscal health. But enough of them... for now at least. On the lower right corner of my dry erase board, I wrote a list of items I wanted to purchase last year. I also filled my Amazon Shopping Cart with over $5,000 in musical gear and home décor merchandise. I didn't include big ticket things like cars or larger homes because even dreaming about those things was impractical. But wishing for $5,000 worth of musical gear and home décor doesn't exactly say I'm practicing fiscal prudency either. Greek philosopher Epictetus said, “wealth consists not in having great possessions but in having few wants”. Call me a tight wad, but I grew up a “have not”. And the few times I was a “have”, I was encouraged not to share, but to give it away. When I displayed that behavior in public, the message received was “help yourself”. After a lot of painful trial and error, I learned how to exercise proper restraint. In other words, I kept my “wanter” in check. A lot of people in my life have had a hard time keeping their wanters in check. And unfortunately for some of them, the consequences were disastrous. Growing up, I had a best friend. He was a good guy, but to tell you the truth, he was a pretty unremarkable individual. What we bonded over was both of us feeling we were on the outside looking in. Although he was blessed with an amazing photographic memory, he was a below-average student. That's because when it came to testing, he would freeze up and forget everything he'd learned in class. He was destined for failure except for one little thing. He had a father with plenty of money who was always ready to bail him out of any financial mess he got himself into. And he made some huge mistakes. Flush with cash, there wasn't a house, vintage car, vacation, courtside tickets, or investment scheme he could resist buying. And when he failed, which was more often than not, I was there to emotionally pick up the pieces. Then his father would swoop in with a check to make everything right again. Unfortunately, my friendship with him ended when I was called on bail him out financially in a real estate situation. I knew I wasn't able to help because of the domestic turmoil in my life, but I tried anyway. And failed miserably. We haven't spoken in over 25 years. I don't know if he's still alive and haven't tried to find out, even with the advent of Facebook. But if he is, it is my hope that he's gotten better at making and managing his assets. That's because his father was still alive, he would be well over 100-years-old and probably not in a position to bail him out anymore. I don't hold a resentment toward him, but I'm not happy with how the friendship ended. If we had just parted ways after high school, and before life got in the way, we could have been left with fond memories. But I have no regrets. Parting Shots I'll admit that I'm not perfect and have had my share of financial missteps and will probably make several more before I pass over. And because I'm now considered a senior citizen, I'm a prime target of countless sales pitches, both from legitimate sources and scammers. So, I have to watch my back, now more than ever. As I said in my introduction, Celia and I don't live in the most affluent part of town, but it's still a very nice area. We have great neighbors, and it seems that even my Homeowners' Association has been a joy to deal with. I just found out that the price of new Teslas has come down considerably. And because Mr. Musk is such a controversial figure, a lot of people are selling cars, creating a sellers' market for used vehicles of the electric sort. I've seen used Model 3s advertised for around $25,000. Call me a tight wad, but that's still too rich for my blood. And with the price of houses in my area almost tripling in the past decade, I am sitting on quite a bit of equity. I would make a handsome profit if I decided to sell. However, I wouldn't be able to afford to buy another home in Huntersville. So, I guess I'll be stuck here in paradise for a little while longer, still pinching pennies. Today's Quote “If you buy things you do not need, soon you will have to sell things you need.” Warren Buffett – American Investment Icon
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By: Kenneth E. Boone, Sr.
I just received one of those Constant Contact email blasts from the nonprofit I once work for. Between their typical announcements of seminars they are hosting and pleas for sponsors was a brief message of gratitude for all they've achieved this year. Great idea, I think I will do the same. I'm Ken Boone. Welcome to my Podcast, “MUCH MORE TO SAY” In my third episode of this podcast, published back on November 22, 2020, I took a break from my typical political-leaning commentary to talk briefly about one the most important dates on the calendar. And that's Thanksgiving Day! Also, around that time, I received a Constant Contact email blast from the same nonprofit I mentioned in the introduction. I wasn't thrilled to get that email since it was just five months since I resigned from that organization back in June 2020. And it wasn't really a pleasant parting of the ways. I've told you that my time with that organization was one of the main reasons I started this podcast. Borrowing from a term used by the United States Senate and House of Representatives, creating this show allowed me to “reclaim my time”. While their mission was honorable, it wasn't one that tugs at the heartstrings like some of the more notable and charitable nonprofits in the world. But for some reason, they thought that they were just as consequential as organizations like St. Jude's or Goodwill. Like many nonprofits out there, they were constantly strapped for cash. But what they lacked in financial resources, they made up for with hard work and creativity. That's why I decided to come on board. I wanted to help where help was needed. One of the more admirable efforts on their part is their monthly newsletter. As I said previously, while they used up much of their space promoting the seminars they are hosting and begging for sponsors, they never failed to post heartfelt messages of gratitude for all of their achievements. And I applaud them for that, as they inspire me to do the same. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. While that adage still stands the test of time, I'm not going to spend my time on this podcast flattering them. But I will use this episode to, shall we say, paraphrase their Thanksgiving message to my audience, minus the sales pitches. Just like in 2020, I will stop by either Publix, Harris Teeter, or Food Lion to pick up a few Thanksgiving meal essentials. I'll eventually arrive at the deli counter. And since Celia is still a lifelong vegetarian, I will buy my meats in the smallest quantities possible. And I will still have to religiously check the label for milligrams of sodium per serving. I've gotten used to reading labels since I had my health scare back in 2019. It's still a life-sustaining exercise that I take seriously. All I have to do is remember a time when walking up a flight of stairs without feeling like passing out was a common occurrence. Today, I can do that and a lot more. For that I’m grateful! While I'm on the subject of gratitude, here are just a few more of the things that I’m thankful for:
Parting Shots As is my usual custom, I plan on staying in this holiday. Not for medical reasons, but because this is where I like to be. I’m planning a low sodium, yet still tasty meal. I even splurged, diet-wise, and bought a couple of Patti LaBelle sweet potato pies. I'm not worried about the potential weight gain, since I'm going to the fitness center on Friday. A couple of things that I won't be doing this year are to attend a Thanksgiving church service and to make some music. But I may include those things on my list of Resolutions for calendar year 2024. Or maybe not. A lot of people are going to hit the road to spend Thanksgiving with family, friends, and loved ones. While the risk of contracting COVID is not as strong as it was back in 2020, I will ask you to just consider masking as much as possible. And please don't drink and drive. We still have about five weeks left in this year, and I've yet to record my episode where I give thanks and gratitude to you for being such wonderful friends. But that's coming real soon. You guys have been amazing. Take care, and God Bless! Today's Quote “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” Gilbert K. Chesterton – British Writer, Poet, and Philosopher
By: Kenneth E. Boone, Sr.
When I was growing up, I felt like one day a week was a complete washout. No playing outside, no television, and no going to the store. What was worse was that it seems like the sun was always shining on everyone else. How did I make the best of a seemingly bad situation? Well, I turned on the radio and let my imagination run wild. I'm Ken Boone. Welcome to my Podcast, “MUCH MORE TO SAY” When I was younger, I would have to race home on Fridays because my family observed the holy part of our religion from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. I used to enter “the Sabbath” with great resentment, but by the time I was in my teens, I already had about 10 years of it under my belt and had developed a few coping skills. Just under 700 miles and 11 hours driving (a little over 3 hours if you catch a flight), in Asheville, NC, Celia hustled to make it home as well. She had the same resentments as I did. But with a lifetime of this lifestyle under her better, she had developed even better coping skills than had I. Sure, I couldn’t watch TV on Saturdays until sunset, but my need for television entertainment was replaced by Family Radio. What’s that? It’s a small network of Christian radio stations modeled after NPR. They featured several local and syndicated DJs spinning all types of Christian music, from choir to contemporary. Celia hadn't heard of Family Radio. I'm not sure if it was because that network wasn't broadcasting in Western North Carolina, or if it was because she was the de facto Family Radio in that neck of the woods. Since she was quite an accomplished pianist by the time she reached her teens, she spent every hour of daylight, and most night hours at church providing the music. As for me, I wanted to own my own Family Radio network! I also longed to own a record label equivalent to Ralph Carmichael’s Light Records. I dreamed of producing dramatic content in the mold of “Unshackled,” a syndicated show styled after soap operas from the 1940s, which told the stories of people who turned their lives around. It was like an AA discussion meeting on super steroids. I was a teenager, so I wasn’t consumed by blind jealousy. However, I knew that those dreams were quite ambitious, so I only shared them with a small number of people. My mom and stepfather weren’t too dismissive of my ideas because they had a lot to do with church. As my godmother so eloquently put it, “at least it beats selling drugs on the street corner.” You had to know Aunt Rose to see that what she said was funny. Celia's dreams were to record and perform both Christian as well as Jazz music in the Atlanta, Georgia region and beyond. In fact, she was well on her way toward making that dream a reality. If only we'd met back then, we'd be in an entirely different place. As time marched on, I got more involved in the performance aspects of Christian music. While I enjoyed that, I still had a secret plan to make the switch from artist to executive. The plan didn’t work out at the time. You know, the old barrier of entry thing. Also, I was a little weak on the planning and execution back then. Fast forward to current times, a lot of cool things are happening. To begin with, I made the decision to move south in 2010. There I met and fell in love with Celia. And what I learned was that if you love someone, you feel safe to share you inner hopes and dreams with that person. We shared and soon realized that those hopes and dreams were nearly identical. I've told you about those hopes and dreams in countless previous episodes, on this podcast as well as others on the network. But I think that the one worth repeating pertains to the role that church plays in our lives. We don't see attending services as a bad thing. Nor do we feel like that one day a week is a complete washout. To start with, we've eliminated the word “desecration” from our vocabularies. It's fine with others being strict adherents to the bylaws of their religion of choice, just respect that we're not those type of people. That's because the price we paid for adherence to those laws and bylaws was way too steep for us. Over the past 10+ years, Celia and I have attended hundreds of services at dozens of different churches in several different denominations. What we found was that we enjoyed most of them. We walked away with the same level of spiritual fulfillment from each of the “good ones”. However, recently we've cut back on attending services. We've also put a pause on performing outside of the house. Come to think of it, we haven't recorded much music either. But we have been busy podcasting. Do date, Celia and I have collectively published over 100 podcast episodes. Nearly all of them have a spirituality component to them. Before we took that break, we recorded over 50 music tracks, with a majority of them being sacred in nature. That's correct. With the freedom to do anything we want; we've still chosen to do what's referred to as “God's Work”! And we haven't been punished with fire and brimstone, plagues, or whatever else they said would happen to us if we failed to walk the straight and narrow. Parting Shots We are no longer disciples of the church we grew up in. But we still strive to do good. We still strive to live our lives in service to others. And although we still “...sin and come short of the kingdom...”, so do those who are still in the flock. To my delight, the majority of our friends have not rejected and abandoned us. In fact, those friendships have only gotten stronger. There was one person who scowled at me for not reciting the company line, but that's okay. You can't please everyone, which was a lesson I learned after I left the flock. To my surprise, I learned that the “Unshackled” producers still record live episodes every Saturday afternoon at 4:30pm from the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, IL. To date, they have nearly 3,600 episodes in the can! Now that I'm all growing up, Saturdays are no longer complete washouts. I now can play outside, watch television, and go to the store, any store, without fear of burning in a lake of fire. The sun is shining on me, unless it's literally raining cats and dogs outside! Today's Quote “Life is not always about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain.” Vivien Greene – British Writer
By: Kenneth E. Boone, Sr.
It's Election Day, and I just got back from casting my vote. I can't believe it's November already. Where did the time go? And with the holidays just around the corner, that means that we are entering the season of making lists. Am I ready for what's to come? I'm Ken Boone. Welcome to my Podcast, “MUCH MORE TO SAY” I just saw a story on the local news reminding us that Thanksgiving is just over two weeks from now. That also means that Christmas is less than seven weeks away. That tells me that in addition to getting gifts for Celia, Kenny, and Amina, I have to compile my list of new year's resolutions for Calendar Year 2024. One of the things I want for myself is continued good health. And if there are no December surprises like last year, I can move on to the other thing on my wish list. Then I can direct my efforts to the other thing I want. And that is to make better use of my time, which is not unlimited. Over the past few years, I've relied on my list of resolutions to keep me on track in terms of being productive. This year, I'd like to change things up a bit. The strategy I plan to use to become a time manager is to keep things simple. In the past, I would compile my list of resolutions in early to mid-December. And the final product would be a long list. My list in 2022 consisted of 15 resolutions. Although I cut the list down to 7 resolutions in 2023, that's still a lot of items to constantly keep tabs on. While I did a fairly decent job following through on my resolutions, the failures annoyed me more than the successes filled me with a sense of accomplishment. I'm not going to abandon my practice of making New Year's Resolution, I may keep this list down to a few. I'll look to my list of resolutions for both 2022 and 2023 as a jumping off point. When the new list is finished, you may recognize some ot the items from prior years. Or, it may be an entirely new list. That's because I've changed a lot since I began this process. And that change has been for the better. I'm not ready to reveal my list of resolutions just yet. I'll start dropping breadcrumbs in the next few episodes. But I will say that in addition to keeping things simple, I will attempt to not just work harder, but work harder as well. I'm hearing a lot about communicators like me creating a brand. I usually push back since I don't have a large base of listeners. For that matter, I don't have a large readership for my blog as well. My “advisers” are quick to remind me that I'm not leveraging the two mediums, which makes a lot of sense. Those are words that will probably end up on my list of resolutions for 2024 – branding and leveraging. Parting Shots I just cast my vote for school board members as well as a referendum to build more roads in town. That's because most of the challenges facing my town relate to growth, particularly over construction and traffic. I'm not too concerned about the outcome of the races, since all the candidates are relatively moderate. Besides, all the major issues that affect our town are dealt with on the county level. There are times that I think about getting involved in the world of local politics. My son, Kenny, has already been bitten by the bug. There is a mayoral candidate who is 72 years old, so age shouldn't be an issue. But I don't know where to start. And what would happen if my opponents dug into my past? I don't think I could stand up to the scrutiny. For now, I'll table that dream. Not because of age, or my past. Did I tell you that I got disqualified in the election for 2nd grade class president for allegedly trying to fix the election? I was innocent, but the stench of the “scandal” stuck! While dreaming of a life of public service is appealing, making it happen is complicated. And as I said, next year, I'm going to try and keep thing simple! Today's Quote “Life is too short, or too long, for me to allow myself the luxury of living it so badly.” Paulo Coelho – Brazilian Lyricist and Novelist
By: Kenneth E. Boone, Sr.
There are a lot of quotes floating around suggesting that winning is the only thing that matters. I don't agree, because we sometimes can't control the outcome. All we can do is compete and get up each time we get knocked down. I'm Ken Boone. Welcome to my Podcast, “MUCH MORE TO SAY”- In case you don't know by now, I love sports. Particularly team sports. In fact, my love of sports is by far much greater than my love of music. And the reason is simple... I'm better at all things athletic than I am at all things musical. As my interest in sports grew, I started following and rooting for certain professional teams in my area. And growing up in New York City gave me plenty of choices. But for some reason, I preferred to root for the teams that weren't good. Everybody loves a winner. Everyone, except me. In baseball season, I used to root for the Mets and not the Yankees. When football season rolled around, I rooted for the Jets and not the Giants. As for the winter professional sports, I rooted for the Knicks in basketball, and the Rangers in hockey. I must say that when I began following sports, the Knicks and Rangers were the only local professional teams in their respective sports. Once the Nets and Islanders entered the NBA and NHL, respectively, I started rooting for the upstarts. Whenever I participated in a sport, I was drawn toward the competition rather than the actual winning or losing. And that's good, because I lost much more than I won. I'm amazed that I never thought about quitting. While winning felt just as good to me as to the next guy, coming up short isn't the end of the world to me. That's if I gave a sufficient amount of effort to the pursuit. And that, unfortunately, wasn't always the case. There were many times when I simply took my foot off the gas pedal and let the other guy win. I introduced you to my alter ego, “Ken the Doorman” in a previous episode. His name came up in several other episodes along the way. He's no longer able to impede my progress. Now, he's just another item in my toolbox of superpowers, as explained in Episode 95, titled “The Doorman's New Gig”. You know him, but you don't know his origin story. For that, I'll take you back in time to some of my earliest memories. I discovered sports when my mother moved the family from Queens to East Harlem when I was 6 years old. It was a time when I felt totally lost and alone. My father left the family, and my mother was unable to make the mortgage payments on the house we just purchased. In hindsight, her decision to move us to Franklin Plaza was the right one. Her job was a just short bus ride away, as was the new church we began attending. There was a good elementary school was right across the street. She delayed enrolling in that school for three years. I'll get into her reasons in another episode. It was as if I lived in two different worlds. Sunday through Friday, I was surrounded by friends of different ethnic groups and faiths. Some of them didn't even adhere to any religions whatsoever. My connection to those people was cartoons, superheroes, and sports. We played sports from sunup to sundown and watched our fair share on TV. On Saturdays, I'd dress up to attend church services. While my church friends were nice people, they had their own social structures in place. That's because the majority of them attended the same parochial school, giving them at least another five days to interact with each other. I always felt like a visitor, or an extra in their movie. Sports was an important part of both worlds. My church had a basketball team, but not for my age group. But we were allowed, no encouraged, to attend their home games. The roster consisted of high school aged boys and were very good. In fact, it was a dream of boys my age to one day play for red, black and white. My neighborhood had baseball, football, and basketball leagues for kids my age. Unfortunately, games for all of the leagues took place on Saturday mornings. I couldn't participate because I had a prior standing engagement. But we did play a lot of pickup games on Sundays and during the week. One of the reasons why I chose to root for the woeful Mets and Jets went beyond my fondness for underdogs. They both played their home games in Shea Stadium, which was located in Queens, where I used to live. That was my last connection to what I thought was a happier time. The first five years of my love affair with sports was filled with blissful ignorance. My teams were so bad that I truly believed that even I could earn a spot on any of their rosters. Then came the magical period between 1968-1970. January 12, 1969, the underdog New York Jets made good on quarterback Joe Namath's guaranty that they would defeat the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III by the score of 16-7. To this day, conspiracy theorists insist that the game was fixed in order to facilitate the merger of the NFL with the AFL. I watched that game on TV and never thought it was rigged for one minute. Moving on to baseball and the Amazing Mets, who shocked the baseball world by beating the powerhouse Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 World Series four games to one. I was glued to my TV set watching as much of the series as I could. Capping off that period was the improbable victory by the New York Knicks over the Los Angeles Lakers which concluded the 1969-1970 NBA season. The highlight of which was witnessing center Willis Reed hobbling out of the locker room onto the court for warmups, greeted by a thunderous ovation as well as tears of joy. Those events left me feeling a part of something much bigger than me. I was a sports fan living in New York City, the home of champions. And I felt that my cheering, along with millions of other fans, played a role in those teams achieving the improbable. All of that changed the very next year. In 1971, as I moved up to middle school, I again felt like a fish out of water. Because I tested well, I was selected to enroll in a Special Progress program in a more affluent school district. My brother was also in the program, but two grades ahead of me. For some reason, he adjusted to those surroundings much easier than I did. That's probably because he had achieved a certain status because of his musical ability. I didn't have that, but at least I had sports, both as a fan and as a participant. That all changed on Monday, April 19, 1971, what I refer to as the worst day of my life. Before that day, sports was the one thing I could hold on to while everything else was collapsing around me. Here are just some of the events that led up to that fateful date on the calendar. January 11, 1970, the underdog Kansas City Chiefs of the old AFL upset the favored Minnesota Vikings of the old NFL. The Jets won the division once again but lost to the Chiefs 13-6 for a chance to return to the Super Bowl. Moving on to baseball, the Baltimore Orioles beat the Cincinnati Reds to win the 1970 World Series. The Mets finished the 1970 season with a record of 83-79, which was only good enough for a third-place finish in the National League Eastern Division. Two down, one to go. Surely the Knicks will come through for me. But that wasn't the case. On April 30, 1971, just 11 days after the worst day of my life, the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Championship by sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in four games. Although the Knicks finished in first place in the Atlantic Division, they lost to the Bullets in the Eastern Conference Finals in Game 7 of the series. I didn't know at the time that just five minutes after the final horn, my life would be altered forever. Feeling dejected that I could no longer say that live in the home of champions, I closed myself off in my room to lick my wounds. Shortly afterwards, my mother said she had to talk to my brother and me. It was then that she told me that she was engaged to the gentleman who became my stepfather. I'm not proud to say that I protested the decision. Not because I didn't like Mr. G. It was that he was much deeper in the religion than even my mother was. In fact, he was the ultimate insider, someone who was “born in the faith”. I remember blurting out that my biological father wouldn't be happy when he returned home from his extended absence. That's when my mother paused for a few seconds before informing me that my father was never coming home. In fact, he had another family, complete with two daughters, two stepdaughters, and one stepson. What a set of revelations to process after your team just got eliminated from the playoffs. The ensuing months and years were like a crazy rollercoaster ride. My academic career got derailed and took decades to get back on track. I developed a cold streak that made healthy interpersonal relationships difficult to form and maintain. I did have my music, but in hindsight, I realized that it was an unrealistic fantasy. What was left for me was sports. While I still continued to compete at a relatively high level, I stopped looking to it as a key component of my identity. It was something I liked to do and watch, but it was also something that would break my heart if I kept investing all of my time and energy in. It wasn't until my son started playing baseball at age nine that my passion reignited. But in this iteration, my sports enthusiasm is tempered with a heathy dose of realism. I only watch sports, and only to be entertained. If my team is winning, I'll continue watching. If they are losing, I just may change the channel to a Hallmark movie. I have no impact on the outcome of the contest. That attitude seems to work just fine. Parting Shots I have never been a sore loser. But does not caring so much about winning make me a lousy fan? Absolutely not. And here's why. This season, I started rooting for the Atlanta Braves. My son has been a Braves' fan for over a decade. In fact, Kenny has taken my ten-year-old granddaughter to their home stadium, Truist Park, a number of times over the past few years. Taking him to a Braves game is on my bucket list. This year, the Braves had a regular season for the ages. Watching them on television was something that Celia and I did over 50 times in 2023. It didn't bother me on the rare occasions that they lost. I would simply change the channel to something else that would keep me entertained. They were favored to win this year's World Series but were upset by the Philadelphia Phillies early in the playoffs. That didn't surprise me because I honestly thought that the Phillies were probably the better team. I guess it proves is that my observational skills are still keen. I believe the Braves do better next year, and I'll cheer them on again, next year. I'm writing the script for this episode on Sunday, October 29th. After I finish writing it, I'll watch the Carolina Panthers, the football I'm currently rooting for, as they take on the Houston Texans. The Panthers are winless in six games this season, with a chance of them taking another beating today. I'll watch for as long as I can tolerate it. I won't yell at the TV, but I will be watching the clock. That's because win, lose, or draw, there's a Hallmark movie coming on at 4:00pm that I refuse to miss. Does that make me a lousy fan? No. It makes me a much bigger fan of cheesy Rom Coms than of professional sports. And as someone who survived my life collapsing on April 19, 1971, I've earned the right to cheer anyway I so choose! P.S. I did get to watch the movie because the game ended exactly at 4:00pm, which means that I got to see the entire game. And to my surprise, the Panthers actually won! We're still in last place, but at least we will not go winless this season. Let's see how they play next Sunday. Today's Quote “Sometimes our lives have to be completely shaken up, changed, and rearranged to relocate us to the place we're meant to be.” Facebook page @LiveToFightAnotherDayByShay |
About the HostKenneth E. Boone, Sr. is a writer, podcaster, music lover, sports enthusiast, and retired accountant. Archives
May 2024
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