As the 4th Quarter Begins and Overtime Looms

For some time now, I’ve likened the stages of my career to a four quarter football game. I arrived at this thinking because the life choices I made forced me to be a come-from-behind player, always believing that I could make up for lost ground and wasted time in the waning moments of every game. Now that the fourth quarter of my career has begun, I have some reflections that I’d like to share:

-I was immature and a bit of a wild man in high school, so I had to begin my university studies at state college and catch up from there.

-During my twenties, I enjoyed good success at work, but my priorities revolved around doing the things that young, single men are inclined to do. While a total blast, I didn’t start to take my career a bit more seriously until age thirty when I became an ex-patriot in Bogota, Colombia.

-Always late for the game, the next step in the maturation process came when I got married just a few months shy of my thirty-third birthday. It was at that point I realized that life was no longer an individual competition, but a team sport.

-It was only at the age of thirty six, upon the birth of my first child, that I really put forth a genuine effort. I have three children now (19, 16 and 12) whose futures very much depend on how things go in the fourth quarter. Given their young ages and the time remaining on the clock, it’s likely that this game will go into overtime.

So, to continue our American custom of turning every life challenge into a sports metaphor, here’s how things are looking for me as the fourth quarter begins and overtime looms:

-Overall, I played well in the first half, but in my heart-of-hearts, I know I was inconsistent.

-The third quarter was OK, but I let too much time run off the clock before scoring.

-As I take the field for the final stanza, I’m haunted by the self-inflicted interceptions and fumbles that put me in this come-from-behind position.

-I try to counter that negativity by reminding myself of the spectacular, life-changing plays that got me to where I am today.

-The clock is running and there are no time-outs left to be taken.

-I have to play both sides of the ball and go whistle-to-whistle on every down.

-I’m a little banged up and worried that fatigue will be a factor late in the game.

And in spite of the odds and what’s at stake, I look deep inside myself and know that I wouldn't have it any other way. I fully acknowledge my shortcomings, and while burdened by doubt and uncertainty, I STILL WANT THE BALL. Win or lose, the outcome of this game will be decided by the tenacity of my own play.

There will be no bootlegs, reverses or trick plays here, just straight, up-the-gut football. No need for a West Coast Offense either, just Massachusetts grit and a refusal to quit. I’ll run behind the blocks that my family, friends and teammates throw, thanking them as the ball advances up the field. In the spirit of smash-mouth football, there will be no mercy, no quarter, with none asked for and none given.

With the game afoot and the outcome uncertain, the only thing I know for sure is that I’ll ball-out until the last play is blown dead. If it takes over time to get the job done, so be it. And while I’m confident in my abilities, should things not go my way, I’ll live with the peace of knowing that I left every strand of my being on the field of play, never once yielding to failure, disappointment or folly.