(Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
Far too many sports fans are consumed by the fortunes of the teams they live and die with.
Ask any member of Red Sox Nation pre-2004, or engage in a heart-to-heart with a Cubs fan.
Such focus on who won or lost the night before, who’s in a slump and who’s red hot, and how highly ranked your school’s recruiting class is causes us to lose sight of what’s truly important.
Thankfully, those teachings are right there under our noses. All we have to do is look.
The best part is we can learn those lessons from the most unlikely of sources.
In my case, I was schooled by an elderly couple I’ve never met before in my life.
Northeastern Boulevard, located in Nashua, NH, is the typical busy road found in Any Town, USA.
Numerous side roads leading to hundreds of residential homes line one half of the street.
On the other half is a plethora of businesses ranging from industrial and commercial companies to automotive repair shops, a couple of pizza joints, and even a gym.
I’ve been an active member of that gym, Best Fitness, for over nine years.
When I leave the gym to head home, it’s the same routine: Left out of the lot. South on Northeastern. Veer left through the light and head towards the highway. I swear my car knows the way.
The trip is about eight minutes if I make all the lights, 10 if I don’t.
Every so often, on the side of the road, I see an elderly couple. The man is pushing a woman, who I presume is his wife, in a wheel chair.
I’d estimate the couple to be in their late seventies.
They move along at a slow pace. On occasion, the man leans forward to say something to her.
Sometimes they’ll be stopped on the sidewalk, gazing at a brook that runs underneath the street.
A short distance down the road from where they walk is Greenbriar Terrace Healthcare, a rehabilitation center.
Some folks stay there temporarily. Some are residents. Given that the woman is in a wheelchair, I assume she’s either a patient or resident.
Each time I see them, it’s only for a few seconds as I drive by.
18 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete