One thing for which I always give thanks is my parents. They worked hard and raised us well. My father pushed us. My mother hugged us. It was a good combination.
Both my parents were good athletes and helped me with my sports activities. My dad drilled into my brain the notion that it doesn’t matter if you win or lose as long as you give it your best effort. And, my mother would remind me to, “Play with all your heart.”
Last year I went to a college football reunion. My sophomore and junior years of playing I was teamed up with one of the best defensive backs I’d ever had the pleasure to play beside. He was short and not muscular but tenacious and could tackle like a linebacker. His pass defense was excellent. He could stay with his man the way a good defensive basketball player can stay with his man. I truly admired his skill set.
I am taller and at the time was a real string bean. I had good range and could knock down passes but I was a poor tackler. The best I could do was push a guy out of bounds or entangle him with my arms and legs and wrestle him to the ground.
At the reunion the guys told lots of stories. Most were true or close to the truth.
My defensive partner got up and talked about one particular game. We had just scored the go ahead touchdown giving us a lead by a few points. The other team had the ball with time running out in the game. They split these big, strong, fast wide receivers out to each side. That put my teammate out on one and me out on the other. Then they started throwing slant passes to either side and completing them. They just ate up the field and moved the ball. They took the ball to the two-yard line with time for one play. They split those guys out and my partner telling the story said, “All I could think was: throw the ball to Gabe’s side.”
The guys all laughed. It is a great story. I remember that game well. There had been a timeout. When we went back out for that last play of the game I remember thinking, “Throw the ball this way, come on. I’m ready.”
Hearing my partner tell that story made me think about it. Here was a guy I admired and when it came down to win or lose he wanted the play to go my way. And, I also wanted the play to go my way. I may not have had all the physical skills, but I wanted to be part of the final play. That was a talent I had. I wanted to play, win or lose.
We are all not the same. We all play the games differently, with different intentions, expectations and skill sets. I played to win but winning wasn’t everything.
I am thankful for my great life and I’m very thankful for parents who trained me to always do my best, to not be afraid of the challenges, to be there, and most importantly, “To play with all my heart.”
I am not the type of person who likes to give advice but I feel confident in saying this: Play with all your heart. Win or lose, give it your all and be in the middle of the mix. When it comes down to winning or losing, get in there and be the decider. It is better to try and to fail than to not try at all. And, most importantly, give thanks to all those who helped you along the way.
Gabriel A. Fraire has been a writer more than 45 years. He can be reached at www.gabrielfraire.com.
