The theme of the day is "losing". Some things, like the spare tire I'm presently sporting or a dead end job, are actually okay to lose. Many years ago, losing a girlfriend or two,or three also turned out to be a good thing for me because that lead to finding the one true love of my life.....hockey. (Just kidding, Lynda. You know you're a first line center and the best back-checker on this team. I hope I never find out just how good your backhand is though!) Annoying people are often put in their place by being told to "Get Lost". I'm not sure that it's even possible for someone to get lost on purpose, but at least the message is loud and clear.
For the most part, losing is not something that we see as a positive. Losing a game, a bet, teeth or your sense of self are all things we'd prefer not to experience. Unfortunately, losing is as inevitable as breathing. The annoying thing about losing is that it usually comes about because of something that we failed to do. It is a constant reminder that we are not perfect and that is hard to swallow for anyone with a Stephen Harper sized ego. Politics aside..... it was only yesterday that I experienced my most recent loss. I was teaching power skating and left the rink without the two clip boards that I use to outline the drills to the kids. I recently joked with my assistant hockey coach that I should take bets on how long before I lose them. I'm glad I was only joking because I think Jim Yee was ready to bet his house that I'd lose them within the week. I would have lost that bet.
Perhaps my hockey boards are not lost in the true sense of the word. I do know where I left them. I even have my name and cell phone number written on both of them. I called the rink this morning and the manager was going to have a look and call me back. I haven't heard from him. Perhaps he lost my number?
On Sunday, myself and my friend Perry went to a party for the football pool we are in. The NFL season is half over, so what better excuse is needed to get together to celebrate. It is a large pool, as it has over 150 entrants. One person is way ahead of the pack, so the rest of us are losing! Regardless, it was a fantastic time. Jason and Sully, as well as the gang at Blue on Water Restaurant (note - this is a shameless plug), put on quite the afternoon of entertainment. Several games on the TV's, lots of meat to eat, and free booze. I sure felt like a winner.
As it turned out, there were a few things lost during the frenzy that was the football pool party. Despite the food and drinks being free, I lost all of the money that I had in my wallet. Okay....I sort of lost the money. Well, I didn't really lose it at all. I actually bought things, not that I needed those extra drinks and the food. I got caught up in the moment and the only thing I really lost was my senses. Like my hockey clipboards, I know where my money was last seen. Unlike my boards, I'm not hopeful that I'll be reacquainted with those dollar bills any time soon. Maybe if I had written my cell phone number on them?
Writing your name and contact number on things you own is a tried and true method of getting lost items returned to you. I can remember Lynda doing it for all of our kids' clothing when they were young. I do believe she still does it, even though they are almost teenagers. You can bet on kids losing just about anything they own. It must be a function of not having to pay for most things with their own money. Well, it turns out that my pool partying buddy, Perry, has a lot in common with my kids. On Monday morning, he realized that he was wearing a coat when he left home on Sunday but didn't arrive home with it. He has had no luck tracking it down. It seems that certain details of where we were after leaving Blue On Water are sketchy. In other words, these memories have been lost. I told Perry not to eat so much meat.
In any event, Perry's coat has taught him a valuable lesson. His wife is busy attaching tags to all of his clothes so they will all now have his name and phone number on them. I'm also wondering if his wife, Susan, blames me for all the bad things that happened to her husband on Sunday? Sure, he lost some money. He lost his coat. He lost parts of his memory (from the meat, remember). At least I made sure he didn't lose his way home. I don't want to lose Perry as a friend, so I have a great idea for Susan that will surely make her forgive me. Make Perry get a tattoo and have it read - If found, call Susan. Some guys are just too good to lose.
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