Adventures with Pookie: Second Place

"No, life cannot be understood flat on a page. It has to be lived; a person has to get out of his head, has to fall in love, has to memorize poems, has to jump off bridges into rivers, has to stand in an empty desert and whisper sonnets under his breath... We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it?"

--Donald Miller

Monday, November 29, 2010

Seven times my intramural team has come in second place

To come so close, yet to never win the limelight

To have to watch the winning team win shirts, get pictures, and gain respect

To have to get condolences, a "maybe next year", to quietly pack up your things and go home

Many more times than seven, I've come in second place in other things in life

To watch others receive the recognition, to wonder what it must feel like

One day

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Tonight, I sulk. I think about the things I could have done better. I tell myself how disappointed I am in myself

Then, I shower off the feelings of defeat and regret. I put on warm pajamas and I go to bed.

Tomorrow, I try again.

I go back to work. I build upon my strengths and locate my weaknesses. I continue the journey

Because tomorrow brings hope.

And I pray that the hope never runs out