Thursday, February 8, 2018

On Being A Champion

I was born and raised in Philadelphia so naturally when the Eagles became the Super Bowl Champions- and did it so spectacularly - I was as excited as anyone else. Today as thousands, maybe millions, of fans line the streets of the city, there will be a parade of champions moving from South Philadelphia to the steps of the Museum of Art. And as I await the start of the parade, I can’t help wondering if, when they arrive at the museum, they will climb the steps while the theme from the movie Rocky plays in the background.

Yesterday while moving quickly through my Facebook feed, I saw a picture of Eagles owner Jeffrey Laurie and former player John Dorenbos standing together. Beneath the picture was a caption saying that Dorenbos was traded to the Saints in August, and that while being examined by a Saints doctor, it was discovered that he had an aortic aneurysm. This discovery ended Dorenbos’ career and voided the trade, but it saved his life.

But - and here’s the kicker - it also said that Laurie is giving a super bowl ring to Dorenbos who played with the Eagles for eleven seasons. Right there, for me, Jeffrey Laurie became a champion of champions.  

But for me, we are all champions. Not just the famous or infamous, but all of us. Sometimes just getting out of bed in the morning and getting ready to face the same old routine - or some unexpected trauma - can be a feat of heroic proportions. And sometimes after I’ve gotten out of bed on a cold winter morning like this morning and I am standing beside my bed, I swear I can hear the theme from Rocky playing in my head.

My memoir, Dear Elvis, is available at amzn.to/2uPSFtE

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