It’s football time again. I decided the season didn’t really start until our favorite teams started doing well, so this is unofficially the 2^nd game of the season. As we approached the Superbowl last year, I was inspired to write about some life lessons from the football field. Having sat through two unimpressive games already this year, I’m inspired to offer a different kind of list: life lessons from the armchair quarterback.

We all know an armchair quarterback. I’m tempted to claim we’ve all been an armchair quarterback. Since the majority of us won’t be throwing touchdowns anytime soon, I think that’s okay. But there are some important things to keep in mind when you have friends and family over to watch a game, and they can be applied to life in general too.

1. Don’t root for the other team…at least not out loud. So I married a Steelers fan. He was born right here in Marion, so I really don’t know what happened. For whatever reason, he’s always wearing the wrong colors on Sunday. Am I tempted to root against his team just out of principle? Sure! It’s all in good fun, after all. Still, it makes him happy to see his team win, and unless they’re playing the Colts, I really don’t want them to lose either. I believe that success is not something that will run out if too many people have it, so root for each other. We all need a cheerleader sometimes.
2. It looks a lot easier from the armchair. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched a running back head straight for the middle of pile up and shook my head. Why would he do that?? Just run around! Of course, the view is a little bit clearer from above than it is on the field. Perspective is everything. I think many of us have experienced this in our own lives when we say that hindsight is 20/20. So keep that in mind when you’re giving yourself a hard time about a fumble, or when you’re in the middle of a pile up yourself.
3. Make the most of commercial breaks. I have three small children. I have one large dog. Add in food and friends and you’ll see the importance of using your time wisely. Commercials are usually spent in a frenzy. It’s a pretty easy jump from there to looking at our everyday lives. It can be fairly hectic at times, and sometimes you have to take a short commercial break of your own.
4. Go ahead…be loud. There aren’t that many situations where it’s perfectly fine to shout, to stomp, to throw a tantrum, or to do a victory dance (or all of those in a 15 minute period.) It’s okay to be passionate about your favorite team, and it’s fantastic to be passionate about your dreams in life. Letting your loved ones know how important a dream is to you can make you feel vulnerable at first, because by being loud about it, you’re committing yourself to it. And if that dream doesn’t happen, you won’t be the only one who is disappointed. But nobody wins who doesn’t play, so go ahead…be loud.

I know what I’ll be doing this afternoon, and here’s hoping for another win. I’m Claire, the Afena blog mom. Thanks for reading.