I haven’t been posting a lot lately - I guess I feel like I don’t have that much to say. The battle rages and I fully acknowledge that most of the battle is in my own head. And I am decidedly not winning the battle!
I watched the Superbowl last night. I don’t know if most of you are football fans or not, but I love watching the game every year. I was extremely happy for Peyton Manning who likely played his last game in his historic career and will be leaving on a spectacular high note.
After the game, as any of you who follow football knows, Cam Newton, the young brash quarterback of the Carolina Panthers got major flack for how he handled himself after the game. He gave one word answers at a press conference and then got up and walked out. Walked out - not “stormed” as some media outlets and Cam-haters have alleged - I saw the footage.
Gleefully today people have been calling this guy a “cry-baby” and a “poor loser” and all kinds of other names. You will not see me be one of the people piling on to his misery.
I think back to when I was 26 years old - some of the things that I said and did at that young age. Some times when I opened my mouth and really stupid things fell out. How I handled things when they didn’t go my way. And I was LUCKY! I didn’t have MILLIONS of people watching me! I didn’t have members of the press lined up, just waiting like vultures to revel in my stupidity.
In fact, I can empathize with what Cam Newton is going through. He has spent the last 2 weeks hearing what an amazing quarterback he is. How Carolina is SUCH a better team. How they will take the victory easily.
I know that Cam envisioned what it would look like after he won. How he would be a hero to so many. I know he had his victory speech in his head - what he would say as confetti rained down on him after the game as he was handed the trophy and asked to say a few words. What the victory parade would look like…
Who can blame him for being broken-hearted? For not handling himself perfectly when he is forced at the time of his most crushing defeat to sit down in front of dozens of people with microphones shoved in his face and people taking all kinds pictures of him. Not me.
I’m sure inside he was screaming “THIS ISN’T HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO GO! I KNEW WHAT IT WAS GOING TO BE LIKE AND IT DIDN’T TURN OUT THAT WAY! IT’S NOT FAIR!”
How do I know this? Because I have thought this. Can you compare losing weight with losing a football game? No, they are not remotely the same thing. Except I know what it is like to have a rock solid idea of how things should be and life doesn’t follow the script!
Losing weight was supposed to be hard. But once it was lost, everything was supposed to be easy! Maintaining would be a breeze. Everyone would be supportive of me. I would be happy every minute of every day. I would be motivated all the time. I wouldn’t ever get injured and life would just be perfect! BZZTTTTT!! Thank you for playing!
Apparently life didn’t get the memo. Not in my case and not in Cam Newton’s. So we both have to learn to suck it up. To realize that fantasies don’t always become realities. That you win some you lose some and you fight on. That my friends is how it works. But kicking a man when he’s down? I’ve had that happen, and it fucking sucks. People who seem to LOVE watching others fail.
So no, I’ll just wish Cam well and tell him that brighter days are ahead.... I hope they are anyway!
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