It's Never Over.... Til It's Over

 I am amazed and inspired by stories of people who continue to try after failing over and over again. Colonel Sanders was 65 and had just suffered the failure of his business when he started Kentucky Fried Chicken.  The venerable Abraham Lincoln failed numerous times in his quests as a politician before winning political office. We celebrate those who earn their diploma or a college degree because it demonstrates persistence and achievement. The most exciting victories in a sports contest involve a team overcoming a large scoring deficit to finish victorious.

Friday evening my wife and I personally witnessed just such a victory. The Women’s Volleyball team at the University of Notre Dame played their final home game of the season. The Irish lost the first set by eight points. The second set was close, but Notre Dame lost by 3. I was sure it was over midway through the third set. The Lady Irish were down again 15-7. But then something changed. 

I don’t know what happened, but, point by point the scores inched closer and closer until they were tied at 20 apiece. I could feel the excitement of the hometown fans building as they began to believe their beloved Irish would survive to play at least one more set. 25-22 Irish. The next set wasn’t even close as Notre Dame won handily by 9.  The last set was hardly a contest and Senior night at the Pavilion was a huge success.

I found myself pondering the mental activities of the two teams. Obviously, the Notre Dame team did not give up. Half way through the third set, down by 8, momentum shifted. Suddenly I began to believe they could win the set at least. And win they did. I have no doubt they also believed they could win it. And sometime in the fourth set the Cincinnati Bearcats began to believe they might lose. At a point about halfway through the final set it appeared they knew it was over.  What made the Irish team believe they could win?  What kept them from quitting down 8 points in the third, possibly final, set? And what happened that the Bearcats lost faith in themselves?

Persistence happens in your head first. It hinges on how you think and what you believe. So how must you think, what must you believe, in order to persevere?  

"The Raven" and The Fly

I’ve been intrigued by Mr. Poe since I was introduced to “The Raven” way back when.  He has written numerous short stories with a similar dark and somber tone. ?The Pit and the Pendulum" and "The Telltale Heart" are two more of my favorites.  If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Poe’s work I’ll give you a brief overview.

The Raven is a poem written to describe the deep grief and despair Edgar felt at the loss of the love of his life. In his gloom he is visited by a Raven who sits in his room and taunts him with the knowledge that “Lenore” is gone forever.  It is a tale that it is both spooky and fascinating.

The Pit and the Pendulum is about a prisoner strapped to a table in the center of a rat infested pit. Above the prisoner a pendulum swings. The weight of the pendulum is a a sharpened blade.  As  the Pendulum swings the blade inches lower and lower in a slow march towards cutting him in two.

The Telltale Heart is about a guilty conscience. A murder hides his victim beneath the floor. When the police come to question him he imagines that everyone in the room can hear the heart of the dead man beating still.

So late this summer and into early fall, the flies got really bad around here. The found their way into our apartment and tormented me mercilessly. Then though I managed to kill a lot of them, they were never completely eradicated!

As I was continually irritated by these annoying insects I began to experience a mood much as I imagine Mr. Poe may have experienced while writing many of his dark tales. I imagined myself in a dark, dingy, prison cell. Day after day I have lain in this depressing cell. So secure is this tiny room, I can get no sense of the outside world. I can’t even hear the footsteps of whoever brings my tray of food twice each day.

And then, one happy, glorious day, as the tray slides thru the slot…………. a fly rides in on the mashed potatoes.

“Hello, Fly! Nice to see you! Where have you been all my life?”

“Buzzzzzz!”

“Here, would you like more potatoes?”

“Buzzzzz!”

“How about a drink of water?”

How do you think I’m gonna feel when that poor fly dies of old age in a month or two?  

It’s all a matter of perspective isn’t it?