Lessons are for Learning

I was debating whether I would title this post “Lessons are for Learning” or “Look for the Good in Everything.” Both statements are true and they both fit the situation that I am about to describe. My thought was to use the first one that came to me, i.e. “Lessons are for Learning” but I decided instead to accept that “I Will Know When I Know.” I would decide on the title after I write the post!

As many of you know, I had been really looking forward to last Sunday’s divisional championship game between the Seahawks and the Packers. I was planning to watch it with my ex-husband Al. Due to jet lag, I only slept two hours Saturday night and attended a Sanskrit class Sunday morning. The game was at noon so I was going from the class to Al’s, with no time for a nap.

A variety of things had happened that day that triggered me and being so exhausted I was not at my best, to say the least. To top it off, on the way to Al’s apartment, I realized that he lived so close to the stadium that there was no way in the world I was going to be able to find a parking place. By then I was in a really bad mood, especially since it was raining and I did not have an umbrella or an appropriate coat in the car.

After dropping food off at Al’s apartment, I drove to a light rail station located about 4 miles from the International District where he lives. I parked the car and boarded the train. As I was walking back to the apartment, after having disembarked from the train, I noticed the strangest sound. It was loud and it sounded a bit like freeway traffic, but that wasn’t right either. What was it?  Could the sound be the crowd cheering in the stadium? Unbelievably, it was!

By the time I made it back to the apartment, my bad mood had shifted and I was eager to watch the game with him. As the Seahawks made error after error, however, my excitement withered.

I knew that taking the light rail home was going to be a very overwhelming experience. Tens of thousands of fans descending on that station when I was so exhausted would be incredibly difficult. Al and I agreed that if the game ever got to the point where it couldn’t be salvaged, I would leave. When the Seahawk’s pass was intercepted with less than four minutes on the game clock, and a score of Packers 19 – Seahawks 7, l decided that time had come.

I left feeling fine about my decision. When a few minutes later I had the opportunity to give money to a panhandler, which is something that has been difficult for me in the past (Judgment or Compassion), I was even more confident that my choice had been correct.

Seconds later, there was loud cheering from the stadium followed by fireworks. What was going on?  Al called me and Whats App texts started flying between my son Sreejit, who lives in India, and me. The Seahawks had scored a touchdown!

Soon I reached the light rail tunnel. In less than a minute’s time, the Seahawks recovered an onside kick and scored another touchdown, followed by a two point conversion, the combination of which put them ahead by a field goal.  (I can’t believe I’m saying all of this, and even have a bit of a clue what I am talking about.  Me, who until last year had NO interest in football!)

The tunnel was filled with fans who, like me, had left early. They were following the game on their phones and when the news that we were winning came through, the whole place erupted with cheers. I felt so much a part of this community experience.

With 14 seconds left, the Packers kicked a field goal that tied the game and sent it into overtime. The game was still going on when I reached my station. The elevator that took me from the tunnel to the surface street was full of people who had left the stadium early. One man said “I’m not here. If anyone asks, I’m still at the game. What happens in this elevator stays in this elevator.” Everyone laughed, and once again I had an experience of community.

I walked to my car and listened to the game as I drove home. Between the time I got out of my car and the time I turned on the television, the Seahawks had scored yet another touchdown and we had won. We were going to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row!  And instead of facing tens of thousands of people in the light rail station, I was already in the quiet of my home. All was well.

Over the next few days there were times when I felt sad that I had missed all the excitement, but at the same time I knew I hadn’t; I had just experienced it in a different form. And I watched the game highlights that day, and in the days that followed, so that I could actually see what had happened.

 

I felt a nick of sadness again when I received pictures from friends who had been together when the big moments came.

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But while I hadn’t been with Al, Sreejit or friends in those moments, I was definitely not alone. I was with Al and Sreejit via media and had had Seahawks fans all around me. I had felt connected and a part of all the excitement. It was just in a different way than I had expected.

I feel thankful for all that I experienced. As I reviewed the day in writing this post, I saw that I had an opportunity to work on the following lessons:

  • Lessons are for Learning
  • Look for the good in all situations
  • Be here now
  • Be willing to let go of plans
  • Let go of expectations
  • Lighten Up
  • There are no accidents
  • Don’t overthink
  • Learn from my mistakes.
  • What I (or others) think are mistakes may not be
  • Community comes in many forms
  • I belong
  • Choices are not good or bad.
  • I can learn from any choice I make
  • I will know when I know
  • What is right for one person may not be right for everyone else
  • Be compassionate and kind with yourself and others.
  • Never say never

So what will the name of this post be? I will go with “Lessons are for Learning.” And while I know it is important to never say never, I think it is safe to say I will never intentionally leave a Seahawks game less than four minutes before it is over, no matter how far behind they are!

 

25 thoughts on “Lessons are for Learning”

  1. Reblogged this on The Seeker's Dungeon and commented:
    Ah, to be young again. My mother, who lived all of her adult life in Seattle, randomly started watching football two years ago. I warned her that the life of a sports fan was a painful one but she certainly hasn’t had that experience. Check out her youthful game recap here. And be sure to watch the awesome video at the end. Go Hawks!

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    1. I’m laughing. Me a sports news anchor! That sounds like another thing I would say “never” to, if I didn’t believe in never saying never.

      Sreejit just reblogged my post! I was so surprised. And I love the intro he put on it.

      I’m glad you felt the excitement of the game through my post. 10 days until the Super Bowl! Already so many people in the city are practically living in Seahawks jerseys, hats, scarves, tattoos, etc. And the businesses have flags, signs, lights. Seahawk fever is everywhere!

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      1. I saw Sreejit’s comment…very nice…proud son of his cool mom! 🙂 Years ago I worked for a lawyer who had a big party at his house for the superbowl. Truly enjoyed your post… I have not watched football since I was a very young teen.

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      3. BTW…. have you ever used Whats App? It is a way to text internationally for free. If you are interested, I can send you an invitation. I have found it very valuable, and easy to use. I’m not a big texter but it is nice to be able to text to India at no cost.

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      4. Oh I would love that!! I always wonder why my phone bill goes up not realizing I have texted Australia or Florida. I used to text more when I had a Blackberry …I miss my KEYS!! (smiles) pls invite me for that app…thanks:)

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  4. It seems that this is a wonderful example on the macro level of what we do on the micro level Karuna. All the time we make snap decisions and change course resultantly. One thinks of times past when, say, we make eye contact with someone and know there would be more to it all . . . yet we walk away, never to see them again. Or those times when our instincts tell us one thing but we’re influenced by some overriding thought, one which turned out to be invalid – as you say “don’t overthink”. It’s probably part of our condition that we miss more touchdowns than we ever imagine.

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    1. What you say here sounds so right!

      Being a strong introvert I think it probably miss even more than the average person. Reading the book Celestine Prophesy when it came out was significant in turning that process around for me.

      For the last two decades or so I have been getting better at “seeing” what is happening and more “willing” to engage with it. But I am still an introvert so there are many times when that process overpowers the other.

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      1. I’m an introvert too, quite conservative in my worldly interactions, much more of an observer than one who wants to be observed. This trait has magnified in my later years, though I think that is natural; either way, I’m stuck with it!

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      3. BTW, when I mentioned Celestine Prophesy I was referring to the idea that when two people meet it is not coincidental, that they each have something to receive and something to give to the other. Certainly my experiences with Amma have been the biggest stimulus for increasing my awareness.

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      6. It was an ironic nod to what I said above Karuna: “One thinks of times past when, say, we make eye contact with someone and know there would be more to it all . . . yet we walk away, never to see them again.” Apologies for appearing oblique.

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  5. Reading through this brought tears to my eyes. My life has been a lot like that Seahawks game. Time after time it looked like we were going to crash and go out not in a blaze of glory, but in a pathetic puff of smoke and ashes. At the last minute, in a way that no one could have foreseen, someone or something would swoop in and we would be able to keep going. Life is full of miracles, whether they are large or small depends entirely on the person experiencing them. Even if that experience is second hand, it is still worth so very much.

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    1. I agree, life is full of miracles it we stay aware. And we can learn from other people’s experiences as well as our own! Thanks so much for reading the post and commenting. I am glad it touched you.

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  7. Thank you for SHARING this post. As often is the case with your posts, I printed IT out for future reference.

    Also, Hubby had given up on the Seahawks as well and was surprised when the game took a turn. Although we lived in Wisconsin for so many years and our children and friends were there cheering for the Green Bay Packers, Hubby was in Florida cheering for the Sea Hawks. Russell Wilson is a graduate of UW Madison where we both attended, our children attended and now our grandson. And, because of this Hubby walked away from the Packers.

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    1. My cousin is also watching the games because she graduated from there!

      There are so many articles that have been written about them. This is one that came out this morning that I think both you and your husband might be interested in.

      http://grantland.com/the-triangle/everybody-loves-marshawn-lynch/

      Last week I heard a report that he almost never gives autographs. But after the last game, in circumstances that I don’t remember, he took of his shirt, signed it and handled it to a child.

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