Spectators

I wasted my weekend watching the NFL playoffs.

I admit that I love football. I also love NASCAR. But I feel guilty for it. I feel like I am watching life instead of participating in it.

I remember a guy from the distant past who I met when I was 18 0r 19 years old. I used to go to church back then, and our church group was taking a trip up to Maggie Valley, NC. We stayed in a rented cabin, and this was when I met this guy named Clay.

Clay was a quiet guy. I asked Clay some questions about himself to get to know him a bit better. I asked him what he liked to do, and he said, "I like sports."

"What kind of sports do you like to watch?" I asked. "Do you like the Atlanta Braves?"

"I'm sorry. You misunderstood me," Clay said. "I like to play sports."

This kinda rocked my world a bit. What really rocked it was when he got up at 4 a.m. the next morning to ride his bike up and down the steep mountain roads while the rest of us stayed in the bed. I thought I was being an early riser when I got up at 6 to make a pot of coffee.

I don't know what ever happened to Clay except that he joined the Marines and fought in Desert Storm. But what stayed with me was the distinction between being a watcher and being a doer. Clay was a doer. Unfortunately, I've been mostly a watcher.

I can't watch sports anymore. That is time better spent working or getting in shape or kayaking a river or something. The bottom line is that I am tired of wasting my weekends. I like watching televised sporting events, but I believe there are other things I would like a whole lot better.

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