Undefeated

Today’s article begins with a simple question:

What are your priorities for the week?

Most will probably answer this question by describing a list of schoolwork they need to

accomplish. Maybe there’s a project you’re working on, a big paper due. Maybe you’re even one of the people facing their final college projects, preparing to complete your degree and walk across the stage in May.

If you’re an athlete, you may be thinking about some of the things you believe you can do in

your sport this week. If you’re a football player, you’re imagining scoring a big touchdown.

Soccer players are probably dreaming of a bigtime goal. Runners (such as me) are likely hoping to run their best races of the season this weekend.

Of course, if it doesn’t happen, none of us will collapse. Our lives won’t end. We’ll be upset,

sure, but we’ll go over it. We know there are more opportunities, right?

The only thing is, we don’t know that. And every now and then we get a

very sobering reminder of that.

I got that reminder this week, when I learned that a high school football teammate of mine, a

22-year-old man I called a friend, had died in a tragic accident. At the time, I was worried about all the many things I had to do for class, the OAC cross country meet this weekend, getting my weekly miles in, turning everything in on time, making sure I got enough sleep, money, food, and a number of other things that are often not nearly as important as I make them.

It’s strange how sometimes, finding out just one little thing can make all the other things you

thought important suddenly disappear in the fall wind. As soon as I became aware of what happened, I immediately had no choice but to chide myself for all the ridiculous nonsense I had just been filling my head with. I now realized that the family and friends of my friend would probably do anything to take my place. They’d do anything they could for their biggest worry to be getting something turned in on time.

The reality is, there are many people throughout our world that would be willing to trade with us on any given day. We are very, very, privileged here in America, a fact we often overlook during the hustle-and-bustle that we call life.

All of us who are here, walking around on this earth, still upright and still able to achieve any

goal we’d like, able to wake up every morning and not have to wonder where our next meal is

coming from, able to worry about nothing more than getting to class on time, are extremely

fortunate to be where we are.

But, as mentioned, we get a reminder of how fragile all of it is every so often.

The question is, do we ever pay attention?

I don’t tell that story about my friend to depress or upset anyone. I don’t tell it to invoke

sympathy or to cause heartache (although I’m certain his family would appreciate any thoughts or prayers you’d like to send their way), but rather, to simply remind anyone who happens to read this of this one simple fact:

Life is very precious, and very, very fragile. It isn’t something to be wasted or taken for granted.

Because if there’s one thing you know, it’s that you never know when it could all be over.

So, throughout this coming week, when you’re practicing, or writing, or planning for graduation,

do it as if it’s the last time you’re ever going to do it.

Because it might be. And on the day when your number is inevitably called, be certain that

you’ve done everything you could. That you’ve used every last bit of talent God gave you.

Because if you live like that, you will never lose. You may not always win, but you will never be

defeated.

Let’s all go undefeated this week, Quakers.