Tag Lines: Because everyone deserves...

I've been thinking about this topic for awhile now. And, maybe bringing it up isn't good karma. And, certainly cancer has touched close to home. But I really detest the Susan G. Komen, Walk for the Cure, radio commercial tagline: "...Because everyone deserves a lifetime".

Let's be clear.

"Lifetime" is what you actually get.

It is the duration. The race. The defined time.

Yes, yes, yes, I know that they really mean a longer lifetime. And so this same tagline is also true for car accident victims. You can even fill-in-the-blank-here with every other cancer or non-cancer death prior to actuarial life expectancy as well.

I don't care for how the fundraising process makes breast cancer different from other cancers. Somehow more worthy. Ouch. Yes, pick your priorities and make your donations. And, hopefully the research is effective.

(Perhaps in another blog post, we can discuss just the concept of "because everyone deserves" as a rallying point for political outcry).

Reading through the gray days of March

The college thing has been very exciting. It's been an amazing year. Of course part of the process is grueling. Last night I dreamt about walking on campus. Am I living vicariously through my daughter? Hmmm…. I've also been in touch with my Sophomore Year roommate, Barb, through Facebook!

Tom is currently reading The Gatekeepers, which I read just before passing it on to him. It's about a year in a highly selective college Admissions Office, primarily at Wesleyan. Tom summed it up best when he reflected that he's glad he didn't read it while we were deep in the admissions process. I don't know if it would be worse to read it while completing applications or while in the waiting game. Which reminds me, a group of assorted field hockey parents had dinner after a tournament last week, and one mother commented on the money spent on field hockey and whether it was worth it. AMM succinctly captured our shared perspective when she said, with hand gestures, field hockey moved my kid from a pile with this many (large stack) applications to a much smaller stack.

Yes, we've spent thousands. In this part of suburbia, almost every parent spends thousands on something. Tutoring, sports, music lessons, SAT Prep. A car. Private school. Or the worst option: some sort of troubled teens program. So, she's played two high school sports plus club field hockey. She's learned about winning and losing, making friends in new environments, trying new things and testing oneself. She admits that it is easier to get her work done with a packed schedule than when she has free time. (And, her lax coach just announced that 15 girls have 4.0 or higher GPAs!) So, we make choices, and deal with overpacked schedules, and we hope that when it's all done, they thrive and we survive!

Other reading: Adriana Trigiani's Brava Valentine. Her writing is masterful, and her characters are bright and lively! Ever since Lois told me about the Big Stone Gap trilogy, I've read every book she's written. In a period of less than 24 hours, I read Elizabeth Edwards' Resilience. Cover to cover start to finish. Well written, easy to read, but she still doesn't pass my test: She's not on my list of "someone I'd like to go to lunch with."

The Bride Will Keep Her Name was another fun read – three books in less than a week!—and one that made every minute on the treadmill fun. Lots of twists and turns in the countdown to the wedding. Set in NYC, of course. This book couldn't be set anywhere else. I thought the author was female until I saw his photo on the dust jacket. Jan Goldstein, has an uncanny view of the female mind!

What about the other one?

 

As I look at this blog, there is a question. What about Katie?

On one hand, Katie's 6^th grade accomplishments feel a bit like "been there, done that". On the other hand, Katie has a personality that just glides through the day. Not that there's no whining, but that she takes it all in stride and manages her tasks and accomplishments. She's been an avid field hockey scorer this winter. She can see an opportunity and takes the shot. That's great. She continues to play travel soccer and we are gearing up for another season. (When her soccer coach commends her, I wonder if he just doesn't want to lose her to another sport!) Friendships and teamwork are intertwined. Academically, things are fairly easy. She occasionally gets lazy and then sees that there's a price to be paid. She gets it.

Katie loved the Olympics and she's thrilled that last night she got to the Caps play at the Verizon Center. They won! (Again!) Just after the Olympics, that's a dream come true. I've reminded her more than once that I met John Harrington, one of the players from the 1980 Miracle on Ice team, when he visited Bucknell on a tour. We've even got the picture.

Last night we had a conundrum of parenthood. The Spring Sports Meet the Coaches is tonight, as is the Rising 7^th Grade Parents Meeting. Yes, it's another lacrosse season. Carly's fourth. Attending that meeting seems like more of "been there, done that" than attending the Rising 7^th Night. Heck, it's been six years!

In the end, we both attended the academic side of things, then Tom left for the Lax meeting, and then I ducked out of the academic presentation to join him as well. All those face – it's like a reunion when a new season begins and we again see the parents and coaches we haven't seen in months. If only the snow would melt, the fields would dry, and the temps would rise a bit! Then we'll be ready for lacrosse, soccer, and a bit more field hockey!