Don't Change the Channel!

It's hard to be a fan of professional sports in Atlanta.
I don't know if you've noticed... we tend to have a lot, a lot of losing seasons and even when we have a good season, we don't seem to make it to the big games often.
So... even though this year, the Falcons have had their best season ever, I didn't have high hopes for them in the playoffs.
Today, I watched the game but my dad didn't watch much of it. Despite being a very even-tempered and calm person (most of the time) Pop has a tendency to get a bit worked up over the Falcons.
Myself... I get a little loud with the good things... touchdowns, first downs, big plays and such... but I just change the channel when things aren't going well.
It's just like my preference of watching shows or movies that end "happily ever after".
Life is just too stressful to allow myself to be stressed by entertainment.
After halftime, since things were going really well, Pop started watching the game.
And things just started on a downward spiral.
The worse things got, the less of the game I watched.
A few minutes of HGTV... a glance at the football game.
Fox News... a little football.
And so... by the time that Seattle went ahead at the very end of the game, I stopped watching.
There were thirty seconds left in the game and the score was Seattle 28, Atlanta 27.
It was over. I couldn't handle the truth.
Pop also stopped watching.
He expressed his disappointment to my mom.
I made a bowl of chocolate ice cream.
Pop left for choir practice.
And then... while I was drowning my sorrows in Chocolate Trinity ice cream (dark chocolate with big chunks of chocolate)... Cody came over.
He said, "can you believe that ending of the Falcons game?"
I said, "I know. So sad."
He said, "THEY WON!!! Pop didn't get to see the ending???"
So Cody called to tell him.
Life lesson ahead here.
We missed out on the excitement of seeing the first Falcon's playoff victory in 8 years because we gave up on them.
Because if it wasn't going to end the way we wanted, we just didn't want to see it at all.
How many times in life, have we missed out on something good because we were afraid to see something bad?
How many times have we failed to suffer through to the bitter end?
What if... last year, in the midst of discouragement and rejection, I had stopped looking for a job and missed working in a great agency with some awesome people?
What if I had stopped trying to get Austin up for school everyday because it didn't seem like he was going to graduate?
What if I had become estranged from Austin because he moved in with a friend that I didn't like?
What if... I had been too proud to ask for help when I needed it?
What if all those stinking obstacles and seemingly impossible situations made me change the channel instead of watching to see how things turned out?
So even if it seems like the story has an ending that you don't want to see....
Even if your team is losing...
Even if the fat lady is starting to sing...
Don't change the channel!
And now... to balance things out... I'm watching the Golden Globes' Red Carpet broadcasts and plan on an early bedtime.
It's been a rough weekend for me. I can't get ahead of the pain. I missed work on Friday and I don't want to miss any this week.
Life isn't easy... but it's still full of lots of great surprises... it's worth watching!
Love and hugs, y'all!