This morning while I ate my bowl of 80 calorie Fiber One, I watched a story on the Today show about an 11-year-old kid at a charity hockey game out in Minnesota. Seems his name was drawn in a halftime fundraising raffle and he went out there and hit an 89-foot shot that sent a 3″ puck into a 3-1/2″ hole. Needless to say, the crowd went wild. I went wild just watching it. I imagined Son at age eleven streaming up and down the ice during his hockey games and how it must have felt for this kid to hit a once-in-a-lifetime shot. Then came the story. Seems the kid who took the shot was the twin brother of the boy whose name was called. As the father related it, the son whose name was chosen had stepped outside for a moment, so the dad told his twin brother to take the shot instead, thinking what the hell, what are the chances the puck goes in? A million to one? And yet, there he was. The roar of the crowd. The huge smile. $50,000 ready to be awarded. No one would have ever known otherwise.
Except that the next day the boys’ father called the event organizer and explained what happened, saying, “We thought honesty was the best policy, and we wanted to set a good example for our kids.” The mom, however, wondered where it was written on the raffle ticket that the person whose name is on it has to be the one who takes the shot. Clearly there’s some wiggle room here as to what comprises a good example when college funds are at stake. I asked a sports fan I know what he thought about the situation and he said, “Oh hell, give the kid the money; he made a miracle shot.” I asked the fan if he’d feel the same way if it was him who organized the event, and he answered quickly “Absolutely not.” So I guess it depends on which side of the $50,000 you’re standing. Proving once again that it’s all fun and games until someone gets pucked in the eye. According to the news report, no final decision has been released yet so we’ll see how it all turns out. I’m rooting for the twins. In the end I guess it’s not MY money.
A commercial came on after the story and it got me to wondering, when did death become a side effect? Those television ads for the new miracle drugs that will save us from high cholesterol clogging our arteries and psoriasis caking our skin all come with a disclaimer that they could cause tremors or diarrhea or death. Seriously? Isn’t that kind of an unacceptable leap from diarrhea to death? I mean one of those things will pass. The drug companies slip death in like it’s on a par with dizziness. I don’t think so. Maybe the word ‘death’ has been so overused that it’s lost its meaning. Perhaps it would get the public’s attention more if the commercials said, “May cause sleeplessness, irritability, skin rash, and the feeling that comes with hitting a brick wall at eighty miles an hour in a Beetle.” Now we know what they’re talking about. I personally would rather the feeling of cholesterol the consistency of motor oil coursing through my veins than that last one.
I gave Son a ride to the airport the other night, and I told him I had dinner recently with a friend whose son was in Alaska in the same area as the teens who were just attacked by bears. I said my friend was a nervous wreck over it. Son said he doesn’t blame her; he’s terrified of bears. I asked him if he’s ever had an encounter with one and he said no; he doesn’t have to to know it would be scary. I told him we live in a low bear area and if he ever thinks it’s becoming a phobia he can always talk to a professional about it. He looked over at me and said, “Why would I want to reverse that fear? It’s a healthy one. What’s to be gained by thinking a bear could be my friend? Where would that get me?” Diarrhea and death crossed my mind, but I kept them to myself.
Cousin is back from China with these amazing Featured Fotos. Thanx cuz.
Dragon Boat on the Yangtze
Panda Cubs – Chengdu
Terracotta Army – Xi’an
Fisheye Bund – Shanghai
Transport on the Hong Kong Harbor