...Through the Lens of Football
When I was studying mindfulness at Lesley University, the first class that I took was one on Buddhism. In my mind, there was some resistance to this. I had come to mindfulness from a secular place. And as a recovering Catholic, I wasn’t interested in learning about another organized religion. But it was a required course, so I settled in. All in all, I found Buddhism to be very different and somewhat refreshing, mainly because the Buddha instructed his followers not to worship him as a deity. Today, I consider myself to be a Buddhist-inspired Agnostic with sprinkles of Paganism. But I digress… Some of the most helpful and important concepts I learned in that Buddhism class were lessons in impermanence.
The basic definition of Impermanence is the transient nature of all things. It’s a universal law that reminds us that nothing lasts forever. Humans desire to cling to what is pleasurable and avoid the unpleasant. But the reality is that it simply doesn’t work that way.
The message here is that ALL of it is temporary. People (because, yes, none of us will get out of here alive), possessions, and circumstances will all change. Of course, we can savor these things and appreciate them by living in the present moment.
I was reminded of this during the 2023 football season as I watched my beloved New England Patriots unravel. I’m far from your stereotypical New England fan, but I’ve grown up with this team. I remember the Super Bowl shuffle of 1986, and as a 9-year-old, I didn’t care that it featured the opposing team. But what was most glorious was witnessing that first Tom Brady Super Bowl win on February 3, 2002, and everything that led up to it. That year, I had started a new job the day before the victory parade, and as you can imagine – we closed the office and stood outside in the frigid temperatures to celebrate our beloved team as they passed by on duck boats.
Tom Brady holds a special place in my heart, not just because I’m a Pats fan but because we are the same age. Let me explain…
He was a 6th round draft pick – nothing spectacular. He shocked the football world by leading the Patriots to their first super bowl win at the age of 24. The news coverage that followed would always mention
“24 year old Tom Brady this…”
“24 year old Tom Brady that…”
No one had high expectations for him which fueled him to work harder. I related to this deeply as I worked to establish myself in my own career. At that time, I was viewed as too young and too inexperienced, just like him but in a completely different context.
As the years went by, he got stronger as I felt my body get more squishy. This is a reflection of his hard work and dedication and my unwillingness to eat avocado ice cream.
The Patriots continued to dominate through 2019 and in the later years, the narrative changed. The media would now refer to 40-something year old Tom Brady. This narrative had undertones of ageism. It showed that they respected his accomplishments but doubted that he could possibly have anything left in the tank. I felt this parallel as well at a time when I was also in my 40s and working in a place where the average age was 28.
I’d always jokingly and lovingly say don’t fuck with the 40-somethings…
Tom Brandy won his final super bowl at age 43 with the Tampa Bay Bucs. It was hard to see him in another uniform but of course I was happy for him. And to be named MVP at that age felt like a glorious FUCK YOU to the ageist naysayers. Now, of course, Tom Brady is retired. And this week we learned that Bill Belichick has parted ways with the Pats after 24 seasons. I’ll admit, I didn’t watch much this season. It was too painful to witness it all unravel. Oh, how I will miss the commentary like…
“Twitter account, InstantFace, I don’t have any of that…”
And
“I wouldn’t say I’m the Mona Lisa Vito of the football world.”
And of course the facial expressions.
And so we come back to impermanence. The Patriots as I’ve known them throughout most of my adult life are over. We had a great run here in New England. Those years are to be appreciated rather than clung to. Because clinging does no good. Perhaps this can be summed up in another Bill Belichick quote…
“To live in the past is to die in the present.”
For more on impermanence, I’d recommend Impermanence in Plain English
For more on the Patriots Dynasty, I’d recommend The Dynasty
Watch this short video to dive deeper into lessons in impermanence.
join my community
As a thank you, you will receive a video that
demonstrates a powerful and supportive ritual.
Made with love in Massachusetts, USA.
Available from anywhere on earth.
Website Designed by Leesi Jinadu