One last change

It appears that there has been a definite theme to my recent posts. Changes are a natural and necessary function to life, I'm glad that I have been able to recognize and learn from them. The following is just a trite observation that has made me painfuly aware of the fact that I am aging.

Two of my favorite sports icons have recently retired. In January Emmitt Smith joined the Cowboys for a day so that he could retire with a star on his helmet. I have carefully followed his amazing career ever since I was in Jr. High. The monumental 49ers-Cowboys games of the mid 90's were amazing events and strained some of my early friendships. Later, in February, Karl Malone announced that he was leaving basketball. My recollections of the Mailman go back even further to my days as a 4th grader. I remember, as a small lad, briefly meeting him at an appliance store. All of my friends embraced Karl and the Jazz, they were our only team in the world of professional sports.

I guess I took the careers of these two giants for granted. I just assumed that they would always be there, that was atleast the case for most of my life. Their retirements signaled the end of my real involvement and interest in sports and helped me realize that maybe I should devote my recreational efforts to tasks more befitting with my age such as gardening and the symphony. I will still follow sports, but the loss of my intimate connections with these games might lesson my allegiance to some degree. And that just might make my wife a little happier.