While there are many demands on all our time, it is great to be able to make the time to do something important to those we love. I was able to do that tonight, driving across half the State of Indiana, to watch 7th grade boys play football in the mud.
Let me fill some gaps.
1. Indiana is one of the thinner states. Driving across Kansas, Texas or Tennessee would have been more impressive and a greater demonstration of my determination to honour a young man I love.
2. The young man in 7th grade is my nephew, son of my favourite brother and sister-in-law.
3. Football in Central Indiana is gridiron.
4. The mud was optional, but very much a reality as the drizzle turned to drops and then a downpour.
I just phoned Chaz, nearly two hours after the game, and he's not warmed up yet. I had tucked myself between my brother and sister-in-law on the wet aluminium bleachers and so avoided a total drenching.
Sideways glances between plays took in grandparents, parents, siblings and friends of the boys on the field. Some were eating their hot dog dinner or trying to keep their popcorn out of the rain. Others were tucked under Farm Bureau or John Deere umbrellas which could shelter small villages in one go. Many had just the right seats and clothing for the wet occasion. I sat in my Goodwill garb soaking in the drops, just a step up from the rubbish bag my brother had threatened me with.
I remember another game in the rain a few years ago; me with two men whose wives stayed home to watch a chick flick while I cheered on the Warriors in a huge stadium in Auckland. I loved it! Hot chocolate deliveries kept the chill off and, when it started raining, guess what I pulled out of my coat pockets? Big rubbish bags! After the first glances to see if anyone was looking, the guys humbled themselves and we covered our legs to keep the worst of the wet out. Not posh, but effective.
As I looked at those young boys pouring their hearts in to every play, knowing coaches and fans were watching, I thought of Warriors, Colts, All Blacks and I smiled as I thought of all the games that don't get on TV or are not scrutinised by the sports analysts from their comfy chairs.
That game was worth driving across Indiana for just to remind me of real America, real family and youth/sport development, just to remind me of where I come from. I spent much of my youth watching that boy's dad chase a ball, or it's carrier, through the mud.
Wet and cold, we limped stiffly together down out if the stands to the cars.
Who has suggestions for other uses for rubbish/trash/garbage bags?
Comments have included some of these ideas :
Painting smocks - Cut out head & arm holes & away you go. Also good for mud pie fights ; )
Barbecue cover - When it’s not in use, protect your outdoor grill with a large plastic ...
Clothing protector - In case of an emergency on the road, keep several large rubbish bags ...
Disposable apron - Cut holes in a rubbish bag for your head and arms and wear it to ...
Ground sheet - When camping, place your sleeping bag on several large rubbish bags ...
Laundry hamper - Put a large polythene bin liner into the linen basket it will make ...
Need a rain jacket fast? - Perhaps you are off to a football, soccer, baseball or other outdoor ...
Strawberry protector - Keep your strawberries off the damp ground by surrounding each of ...
Summer storage - Add a few mothballs to a bag filled with your winter woollens; squeeze ...
Weed killer - You can get rid of the weeds in a flower bed you want to dig over by ...
Windscreen de-icer - Before leaving the car on an icy day, cut open a heavy-duty rubbish ...
Let me fill some gaps.
1. Indiana is one of the thinner states. Driving across Kansas, Texas or Tennessee would have been more impressive and a greater demonstration of my determination to honour a young man I love.
2. The young man in 7th grade is my nephew, son of my favourite brother and sister-in-law.
3. Football in Central Indiana is gridiron.
4. The mud was optional, but very much a reality as the drizzle turned to drops and then a downpour.
I just phoned Chaz, nearly two hours after the game, and he's not warmed up yet. I had tucked myself between my brother and sister-in-law on the wet aluminium bleachers and so avoided a total drenching.
Sideways glances between plays took in grandparents, parents, siblings and friends of the boys on the field. Some were eating their hot dog dinner or trying to keep their popcorn out of the rain. Others were tucked under Farm Bureau or John Deere umbrellas which could shelter small villages in one go. Many had just the right seats and clothing for the wet occasion. I sat in my Goodwill garb soaking in the drops, just a step up from the rubbish bag my brother had threatened me with.
I remember another game in the rain a few years ago; me with two men whose wives stayed home to watch a chick flick while I cheered on the Warriors in a huge stadium in Auckland. I loved it! Hot chocolate deliveries kept the chill off and, when it started raining, guess what I pulled out of my coat pockets? Big rubbish bags! After the first glances to see if anyone was looking, the guys humbled themselves and we covered our legs to keep the worst of the wet out. Not posh, but effective.
As I looked at those young boys pouring their hearts in to every play, knowing coaches and fans were watching, I thought of Warriors, Colts, All Blacks and I smiled as I thought of all the games that don't get on TV or are not scrutinised by the sports analysts from their comfy chairs.
That game was worth driving across Indiana for just to remind me of real America, real family and youth/sport development, just to remind me of where I come from. I spent much of my youth watching that boy's dad chase a ball, or it's carrier, through the mud.
Wet and cold, we limped stiffly together down out if the stands to the cars.
Who has suggestions for other uses for rubbish/trash/garbage bags?
Comments have included some of these ideas :
Painting smocks - Cut out head & arm holes & away you go. Also good for mud pie fights ; )
Barbecue cover - When it’s not in use, protect your outdoor grill with a large plastic ...
Clothing protector - In case of an emergency on the road, keep several large rubbish bags ...
Disposable apron - Cut holes in a rubbish bag for your head and arms and wear it to ...
Ground sheet - When camping, place your sleeping bag on several large rubbish bags ...
Laundry hamper - Put a large polythene bin liner into the linen basket it will make ...
Need a rain jacket fast? - Perhaps you are off to a football, soccer, baseball or other outdoor ...
Strawberry protector - Keep your strawberries off the damp ground by surrounding each of ...
Summer storage - Add a few mothballs to a bag filled with your winter woollens; squeeze ...
Weed killer - You can get rid of the weeds in a flower bed you want to dig over by ...
Windscreen de-icer - Before leaving the car on an icy day, cut open a heavy-duty rubbish ...
Comments
Garbage / plastic bags make great "masking" material for DIY spray painting.