Hodge Podge

 

I drive past this handsome guy every time I go to Roxane's to see my horses. 

He lives not too far from the stables and is often hanging out in the trees next to the road. 

Yesterday he gave me a good opportunity to snap a quick portrait. 

Below:  I selected Lefty for grooming from the trio of beloveds yesterday.

After he had been brushed and combed and polished, I took him for a walk in the arena. 

Upon arriving at the first of several mirrors along the arena rail, he stopped and began nickering and staring at the horse in the mirror.  

I told him that HE was the horse, but he just kept on talking . . . to himself. 

The horses are all doing well now that the rain and snow have stopped for a while. 

This weather is about as good as it gets for horses in the winter----mainly because they stay dry. 

I'd say it was one of the more exciting National Championship games that I've seen. 

The irony of being glued to this game is that I don't really follow either team, but, as mentioned before, the storyline hooked me a few games back. 

It has been fun to watch the Hoosiers ever since, and I have pulled for them because of their story. 

Talk about a picture-perfect ending.  I don't think an accomplished fiction writer could have outdone the reality of this amazing team's journey. 

Nice to have truth better than fiction, especially these days. 

Speaking of amazing writers, the author of the piece below definitely used the story of Fernando Mendoza to make a point for all of us being ourselves at anything to which we aspire. 

So nice to have this story as a reminder about dreams and the hard work that goes into achieving them. 

by Brad Stulberg

Fernando Mendoza went from being a barely recruited 2-star prospect, to a third-string college QB, to winning the Heisman trophy and College Football National Championship.

It’s cool to care. Be yourself and go all the way. In an era where people are afraid to be called “cringe,” Mendoza led the Indiana Hoosiers’ historic turnaround with his heart on his sleeve and a captivating earnestness.

After leading the Hoosiers to an improbable Big 10 Championship over Ohio State, Mendoza barely held back tears in B an emotional post-game interview, which had a commentator opining, “Did Mendoza just lose the Heisman with that interview?”

A week later, Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy. He cried during that speech, too.

He said, “I want every kid out there who feels overlooked, underestimated, to know I was you. I was that kid too. I was in your shoes. The truth is, you don’t need the most stars, hype or rankings. You just need discipline, heart, and people who believe in you and you need to believe in your own abilities."

Perhaps Mendoza isn’t the best player in college football in spite of how much he cares; perhaps he is the best player in college football because of how much he cares. And that he isn’t scared to be seen caring.

Mendoza didn’t waste time or energy playing a certain part. He needed every heartbeat to rise from a little known afterthought to the best college football player in the world.

The point isn’t that we should try to be more like Mendoza.

It’s that we waste so much time and energy worrying about what others think and mimicking them instead of owning who we are and harnessing it for greatness.

The variety of caring that living an excellent life requires is neither saccharine nor solely focused on outcomes. It’s a process of laying it on the line and giving something your full effort, and it must be renewed every day.

It means that in success and even in failure you can be proud of the effort you gave, the guts you showed, and the person you are becoming.

Fernando Mendoza is a great model for young athletes (and really, all people).

Worrying about what others think is an enormous black hole of energy. It keeps so many on the sidelines and short of realizing their potential. Being comfortable with who you are and giving it your all is a superpower.

At its best, excellence is an expression of authenticity. You pour who you are into what you do. You don’t need to fit someone else’s idea of what it means to be great.

What you need is to put in the work. Be yourself. And go all the way.

 

Indiana's head football coach Curt Cignetti has earned a significant spot in sports history through the hard work and discipline he expected of his players. 

If maintaining game-day facial expressions were an Olympic sport, I think Coach Cignetti could take the gold.  

He did eventually smile last night once the Indiana University dream became reality. 

Photos posted on X.

And, that's about all that's on my mind as we slowly navigate through these quiet, rather uneventful days of January where everything outside looks petrified. 

That atmosphere tends to throw some blahs into our lives.  Thank goodness for TVs and winter sports. 

Happy Tuesday.