Play the Game No Matter What

Unless you’re not a football fan, you know that, moments into the third quarter of the Super Bowl last Sunday night, the lights went out in the Mercedes Benz Super Dome in New Orleans.

An strange silence fell over the indoor stadium as players and fans sat in darkness. No one knew what was happening. It took a minute or two for the emergency lighting to come on.

I believe the final count was a forty-two minute delay in the game on the world’s biggest stage. I had lots of time to think as I waited with the rest of the world for darkness to disappear. I learned a lot in that seemed-like-eternity few moments. Here are some of them.

Play the game no matter what. Life’s a stage. Not one member of either team said, “this is too much. I’m heading for the showers.” Instead, they toss the football on the sidelines. Stretched their muscles and rallied their teams.

It’s easier to keep momentum than to get it back. One team had a huge lead over the other at halftime and in the first play after halftime, they scored again! They were HOT! Then… lights out. They lost so much momentum they barely scraped out a win.

You don’t have to have light to feel the heart. Even in total darkness, I could feel the heart of both teams. I could see it in my mind’s eye. I felt they were still on the field even when I couldn’t see them.

Someone wins, and someone loses… always. Both teams played their hearts out but, in the end, only one team was called champion. One could argue that both teams were winners for just being there. Tell that to the losing team players who sat on the sideline crying after the loss.

There’s always next year. Win or lose, the victory lasts but a moment. That’s the time to enjoy it. Bask in it. Drink it up, but come tomorrow, next year should be on your mind.

As inconvenienced as I was during the blackout in New Orleans Sunday night, I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn such great lessons and how to play the game no matter what.

Have you found hidden wisdom about life during a calamity? What did you learn? Share it here!