Multiple Sclerosis investigates Deflate-Gate
I went there. I did. I went to the topic that has been on the minds of Americans for the last twelve days or so; the topic that has everyone in the country sick of jokes about players and their balls.
The reason why I felt ballsy enough- yes, I did it again- to write about this topic is trifold.
- I’m from New England and so I have a very close and important perspective.
- I’ve tried and tried but just don’t get football. The game is completely confusing to me. I blame it on MS. But then again, I blame everything on MS.
And,
3. I saw an interesting multiple sclerosis take on this whole scandal.
But then again, I see a multiple sclerosis take on just about everything.
I didn’t pay much attention to the story at first. But then when it was all over Facebook, I started to follow it. In case you are as clueless as I usually am, the basics are as follows;
The New England Patriots won a football game that was so big, it meant that they could play in the Superbowl. The team they beat was from Indiana, the bolts or colts or dolts or something.
After the game, there were rumors that the Patriots had rigged the game by under inflating the footballs they used. Some say this was considered cheating and gave the Patriots an unfair advantage. They were reported to the big sports people who are supposed to sort everything out when scandal breaks.
Everybody expressed an opinion while they waited for the guys in charge of all the balls to respond.
The coach said he had nothing to do with how inflated or not inflated the footballs were supposed to be.
The quarterback just flashed his adorable smile and then showed a picture of his gorgeous wife and so all watching became enthralled with their beauty and stopped listening to what he was saying.
But for me, my concern was for the footballs themselves. No one was talking about how they felt. No one asked them, the the subject of the controversy, what had actually happened.
Oh sure, people talked to the experts, the ones who were responsible for taking care of and protecting the balls. But no one seemed to have a clue about how the balls really felt or what it was like to live as a football.
I could relate. It reminded me of how I feel sometimes with my multiple sclerosis.
Say there is something I am excited about, a party or a game or something like that. I build myself up. I prepare and inflate my mind and body to the best of possible circumstances within my control. I do everything I can to take care of myself and rest and to look pretty and to be prepared for whatever the event will throw at me, throw pun intended.
I get to the event pumped. And then, as more and more people approach me, talking to me, tossing suggestions at me, asking things of me, against my best intention, I start to come down. I want to stay my best, I truly do. But sometimes multiple sclerosis has other ideas.
Little by little I get weaker and as my legs and back start to ache, I can get smaller too. But the end of the event it is possible that I have deflated to a soft, wimpy, useless mess in the corner of the event, no longer what I was when I first arrived, no longer as capable as I had been and no longer as able to do what is expected of me.
And it can upset people. Especially since I still might basically look the same and they can’t tell that anything is wrong with me. That’s when the judging begins.
What’s wrong with her?
Why is she so tired?
Why wasn’t she at her best?
Why wasn’t she able to do what was expected of her?
Why can’t we count on her?
If she is so sick, why does she look the same?
These folks might inquire. They might ask the experts and the doctors what is wrong with me but usually they won’t accept the responses given. It is easier to assume there is a scandal or cheating aspect involved.
She probably didn’t take her meds.
She probably took too many of her meds.
She is probably just being lazy.
Her doctors are probably useless.
Maybe her doctors are really doing nothing and scamming her insurance company.
And all the while, these folks aren’t asking me, the innocent, what is really going on.
Can you relate?
Can the footballs at the heart of this scandal relate?
And I don’t even have a talented, beautiful, super couple to defend me.
All I’m saying is let’s take a step back and look at the big picture- if the balls hadn’t lost air as they were exposed to the violence, the elements and the rumors, would anything have changed?
At the very core of the footballs, if they happened to lose a little air along the way, would the players, families and friends who love them, love them any less?
Maybe it’s time to learn what matters and what doesn’t. As the balls taught us, show up and do the best you can with what you are given. And hopefully, friends and family, players and coaches, will make the best out of what you are able to offer them.
No scandal needed. No insults, rumors or drama. Just have faith that when your balls tell you they are doing the best they can, or are or are not as big as they’re supposed to be, it’s how they’re are treated that really matters.
You may say I’m crazy. And maybe I am. But I no longer care.
There’s a big, super game coming up and that’s where the real focus should be.
As a New Englander, I’m going to do my best to be as supportive of the balls as I can be.
Especially since I don’t really get their job. And since I may not be completely inflated myself, I’m just going to trust that they mean well and are doing their best.
If this whole situation has taught us anything, it’s that we need to protect our balls.
Truth is friends, I’m so clueless I will have no idea if they are doing their best or not. And I may bore easily and change the channel. But in my NE/MS heart, I am rooting for them and saying come on NE, do the best you can with the balls you are given!
Dear friends, please remember that my blog posts are tongue in cheek and I’m not afraid to get a little silly to try to make you giggle. Whoever you are rooting for on Super Bowl Sunday, have a great game!
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I am positive you interviewed my husband for the part of “what’s wrong with her?; Did she forget her meds? Doctors are useless (and in my case she totally is); and the rest of that part. I have come to the realization that starting out with great enthusiasm and with the “I am the little engine that could” attitude and ending up mid way (or these days early on) through the project I just poop out mentally and physically and truly I start not to care and he just doesn’t get it. MS is different for everyone and as I tell my son (who is at a crossroads in his life, coming out with his graduate degree in May and seeking employment and wondering why so many have offers they are turning down and he has yet to receive that golden ticket) EVERYBODY LIES. So when there are people I correspond with who have MS and they tell me they have no symptoms or are doing great on a drug which nearly killed me or are not taking any drugs at all and are supposedly running fitness businesses (yet every few weeks I get a message not on the big board for all to see saying it is all smoke and mirrors and she is feeling and looking like crap) I , too, get really angry at myself for not being able to do things I used to do. So don’t be hard on yourself as we do what we can do and take the crap people dish out in stride. As for football – well I was a part of that culture for way too many years and I know the game inside out and yes the inflation of the ball makes a difference but why should you care – you are from MA and you are true to your region so for you yay Pats. I don’t care personally for Bill Belichek and Tom Brady and his leggy (in my opinion not so beautiful) MEAN wife should just shrivel up and go away but that is JMO. No worries I know Russel Wilson and he is no prize either that is why I said I don’t care who wins this year but I am obligated to go to a “party” which will turn into a boring mess probably less than 1/2 way through and hopefully I can leave. I think you were spot on with everyone getting caught up in the little things but believe it or not these people live vicariously through these players and talk about them as if they were best friends so if that is what makes them happy so be it. For me, I will be happy when the damned bathroom is finished in my house and when this stupid game is over.
Personally Judy, I would be more excited if it was an NHL playoff game but what can you do? I will try to pay attention but no parties are scheduled. I will be watching in my pj’s as clueless as ever!! Have fun at the party!!
but the Pats have GRONK yummy
🙂
got my chili cooking in the crockpot Joel is going to do up the chicken wings, told kids I would make some deviled eggs and got some frozen cheese stick ….I went to 2 games a long long time ago did not really pay attention and still don’t understand all the flag crap… But GRONK will be on tv so thanks to my sister I have a bit of a crush on him now too.
Sounds like you guys are game ready! I’m game ready too. I’ve got my comfort food, my munchies and my magazines all ready to go!
But what about the half-time show?
After an MSer sits for an hour or so and then tries to get up?–We have our own wardrobe malfunctions!
And trying to make it from the buffet to a chair carrying a plate of nachos & dip has fancier dance moves than any Katy Perry song.
I agree MY Odd Sock. But here is my official, expert review of the whole thing. The game was exciting, even for those of us who had no idea what was going on. The commercials were emotional and some of the daddy ones and the puppy one made me cry. Some of the half time show was cool, like when Lenny Kravitz played and when Katy Perry flew over the crowd on that tiny stage but the rest of it was over the top. And that is what I have to say about that…. Hahaha