NICE HAT

This morning I wandered into my local Sweetbay grocery store to purchase a USA Today that, for some reason or "tother" - more and more frequently shows up on my driveway, whenever.

I found them tucked in a bin located in front of the first register and one of my favorite cashiers, Mary Ann, another senior.

Normaly M.A. is quick with a smile and a positive comment regarding my often present wide brimmed Panama Jack hat(s).In my old age I seem to be emulating my Dad who also kept a collection of prosthetic legs in the front closet.

This time P.J. was on the shelf at home with his siblings and in it's place atop my receding hairline was a Pittsburgh Steelers golf hat. My reasoning was, "If you were proud to wear it before the game, why hide it now?"(the hat, that is.)

Mary Ann inquired as to how I was doing and my response was "Fine, but probably a lot better if my team had won."

In a sympathetic gesture, she offered, "Well, they played good."

My reply was, "Yeah, but the other team played 'gooder'".

Because of the newpaper delivery foul-up and my greater need for a MacDonald Senior decaf coffee than a review of the online Pittsburgh Post Gazette sports page, there had been no opportunity to see how others viewed the game and it's final result.

When I returned home that was first on my list of things to do.

The reviews by columnists Collier and Cook were not surprising. Their columns suggested that they saw only one team on the field in Dallas, our beloved Steelers, - and they didn't like what they saw.

The fact of the matter was our playing was not abysmal. There were several other adjectives that come to mind - but, this is a family blog.

Actually, we did not play horribly. We just didn't get it done - and the other team did - with a vengeance. Perhaps I'm getting soft but my disappointment isn't nearly as bad as was expected.

It is unclear to me whether or not I've spent too much time with my book on Patience - something I picked up at a local store thinking it was the bawdy autobiography of a British barmaid during the time of King Arthur

"I do but jest, my Lord."

No, the book is appropriately - if not cleverly - called "The Power of Patience" - which come to think of it . . . . . . . Oh, never mind!

One valuable lesson the book has taught me is contained in the sentence: " To live, is in part, to wait." It estimates we spend 11 days a year - in line.

It also points out, "That doesn't count the number of hours in cars and on planes nor wading through electronic voice mail to speak to a real live person." In short, waiting is a normal part of life - like Super Bowl victory anticipation.

Another is, "There is a world of difference between feeling like a failure, and feeling like you have something to learn."

That has something to do with how we resolve to become more patient but are occasionally doomed to failure, when we replicate our past misadventures. Our reaction to our repeated - but less frequent - relapses is important.

To paraphrase the author, MJ Ryan, {the former reaction- above} leads to stuckness and {the latter} to possibility and growth.

The Steelers have made it to the Super Bowl 8 times - and were victorious 6 times. Seems like more of an argument for finding something to celebrate, rather than denigrate.

Of 32 teams, there were only 2 to make it that far. If I could get those odds at the Hard Rock Casino up the road I wouldn't be sitting around on a Monday morning writing these blogs.

Perhaps it would be timely to point out neither of the two competing teams in this year's Super Bowl had a big mouthed coach nor a parlay of this years NFL MVP and NFL Coach of the year. They failed to get the job done too.

While disappointed with the Super Bowl outcome, I choose to see the glass half full.

Now, while I questioned my reaction to the Super Bowl game as possibly a benefit of my readings on Patience - it could also come from being in denial regarding the possibility I've now become somewhat of a rationalizing old fool.

Here again I choose the option of possibility and growth and am anxious to see how the Steelers will acquit themselves with planning, determination, and development when (and if) the 2011 season starts.

Until then, I'm just keeping all of my "Patience" thoughts under my hat.

Go Steelers!