Well….it’s over.   Baseball season in St. Louis, that is.  The fact that it was the Cubs that ousted us Cardinals makes that a bitter pill to swallow.   And it doesn’t help that Chicagoan’s are acting like they are SOOOO superior because of it.   I mean really….come and talk to us when you have at least 6 World Series wins under your belt!!!  Then you can begin to gloat.   On the other hand, I am happy for my friends from Chicago – it’s a nice feeling to win and heaven knows that they don’t get a lot of that up there at Wrigley.

Will I root for them in the upcoming Pennant races?   Maybe.   The Mets are POND SCUM after all.   But if it becomes a Chicago/KCity World Series…I may have to give my allegiance to the Kansas City team.   If the Mets win, I will certainly be rooting for the Royals.   If the Mets and Blue Jays are the two teams…I’m not sure I will care.  I secretly hope it is Chicago and Kansas City…then the media will have to leave their left and right coast perches and condescend to come to the – GASP– MIDWEST to cover the World Series.  (read this line with sarcasm and scorn)

So as the Cardinals have discovered, having the best record in Baseball doesn’t mean you will win the Pennant or the Series.  Sometimes 100 wins isn’t enough.  Is it fair?  Probably not.   But as we can all recall, when they won in 2011 they were down in August by 20+ games if I am recalling correctly….and in the end delivered such a blow to the Texas Rangers that I don’t think that club has recovered to this day.  When I re-watch footage of David Freese’s triple that tied the game and the home run that guaranteed another game,  I almost feel sorry for them .  Almost.

The Cardinals were unbelievable this year with injury after injury to key players.   They managed to persevere.   And as usual, the sports world becomes a metaphor for real life.   We don’t always get a perfect scenario do we?   And yet we have to find it within us to succeed anyway.   Or at least make the effort to not fail.  No one expected the Cards to succeed the way they did and I think that is why the media and other teams/cities secretly hate on them so much…because they do NOT FAIL.  They made it to the playoffs in the face of adversity.  How many of us can apply this to our own lives?

It can be applied to anything in life.  Work.  Weight. Relationships. Kids.   Have I succeeding in raising my kids?   I would like to think so…but when I visit my son in Boulder and see the condition of his home (with two other roommates in all fairness) or my younger son’s car interior…its hard to think “SUCCESS” but one is gainfully employed and the other is not failing University so “not totally failing”….and maybe that’s okay.

With weight/health….Not failing is a way of life.   I will succeed when I drop a pants size or three.   I mean it is so unfair that being healthy and trim is so DAMN hard and being a lazy ass sloth is so easy.   So I am happy to NOT FAIL completely and will dazzle myself when I do get into the lower sized pants.   (Part of succeeding is being optimistic and delusional)

Relationship:   That is one area where I can say I have succeeded.   Overall.   On a day to day basis one has to realize that not failing is okay too.   And not becoming a murderer.   I love my husband very much but sometimes I wonder what crazy hormones caused me to think he was a great choice!   Or maybe it’s lack of said hormones that are the problem.   I don’t know its kind of confusing.   One day he’s prince charming, the next day he’s Archie Bunker and the next he’s become a version of his father or mine.   I wish he’d make up his mind.   I would, of course prefer Prince Charming.   Archie Bunker is much more fun to argue with though.

Work is a daily struggle…not in a bad way, just dealing with the normal ups and downs and the different clients I serve.   This year has been the year of “not making everyone perfectly happy.”   Clients were either elated and enthralled with me and my services or they were moody, and unhappy . A fellow agent laughed at me when I told her this and said “you sound like a seasoned agent!”   Much of what makes clients unhappy are things I have little or no control over.   I am the middle person trying to smooth everyone’s feathers and put out fires that I didn’t start.    One buyer purchased a car in the midst of underwriting for a loan (I had the seller).    One seller changed closing time to later in the day and that ruined my buyer’s plans for getting started with the move in.  Both situations resulted in schedule changes and much angst.  In the end both deals closed.   Did I feel successful?  Not really, but I didn’t fail.  And I have to keep telling myself that.

Sometimes, like the Cardinals, no matter what we do…no matter what our record for the year we cannot make everyone happy and win.   But the Cardinals didn’t fail…they didn’t give up in the face of much adversity.   And we should all follow their example.   Everyday.   (Now, if I just had Adam Wainwright’s salary…..)