Not-So-Random Musings

[22 Nov 2006 | Wednesday]

Not-so-random musings Current mood: peaceful Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes Yeah, yeah...I know. I've been neglecting my blog. Sometimes, it seems like life just gets in the way of the important things. And, yes, I do consider my blog to be important. Not just to me, but to all of you as well. Well, on to my not-so-random musings… First off, I need to offer an apology to Muppet. I actually promised that I'd publish a new blog yesterday. But (as usual) something important came up. Amy called me right after I'd just got done talking to Nicole and asked me to come over. Her blood pressure was running a bit on the high side, so she asked me to come over and take it for her. So I did. I kept her company for a couple of hours, while we waited for her pressure to come back to normal. I got to see all the pictures of the newest and tiniest baby in town. Melina is a verifiable cutie. In fact, on my way home from work tonight, I gave Amy a call to see how she was doing, and Melina is now home and doing great. She's still tiny (just under four pounds) but she's home after a week at St. John's (and that's what's important). Congrats to both Amy and Keith on a job well done! Welcome to your world, Melina! Give it hell! My second week of tactical school (uggh—just realized that my last post was almost a month ago) went extremely well. My final verdict on Palm Springs: nice place to visit, don't want to live there. I'm glad to be back in my own little part of the universe. I can honestly say that I now know why California is known as the land of fruits, nuts and flakes. I'll leave it at that. The International School of Tactical Medicine (ISTM) was a great school. Way too much to learn in two weeks, but just enough to wet your whistle. Hopefully we can put that knowledge gained to good use and help out Macomb County Sherriff and Clinton Township PD. I believe that only good can come from this. Something that Dr. Lawrence Heiskell (the Medical Director of ISTM) said struck me as being absolutely true and one of the many reasons I love this field: "The things that we teach you today is not what we will be teaching five years from now." I guess you could call it an absolute of EMS, emergency medicine, tactical medicine and the practice of medicine in general. What I learned as an EMT and a paramedic student is not what I'm teaching the EMT and paramedic students today. Sure, the "basics" never change (or don't seem to) to any great degree, but the little nuances, the foci of our knowledge, the treatment(s), and the protocols have varied even over the twelve years that I've been living this EMS life. I'm absolutely positive that Beasy can relate. Not that I'm calling you old, Beasy. That would be too bold! Let's chalk it up as "experienced." Love ya, Beasy! Michigan-Ohio State. I've probably said too much already. Never in my lifetime have I seen such a build-up, scrutiny, analysis or retrospection on any sporting event. In the end, it was as advertised. In all my 34 years of following Meeechigan football (yes, I started listening to the Michigan Wolverines on the radio when I was just five-years-old), I had never sat on the edge of my seat an entire game or paced the room the final five minutes of a game. I did just that on Saturday. This game will forever be THE GAME. This rivalry, "The Hundred-yard War," will forever be THE RIVALRY. There are many rivalries in college sports and a few great professional sports rivalries, but they all pale in comparison to Michigan-OSU. Obviously, I am very disappointed that Meeechigan lost, but that was, bar-none, the greatest sports event I have or will ever have the privilege of witnessing. Yeah, I know that some of you think very little of sports or some people's obsession about sports, but think how boring it would be on this rock without it. Competition is probably the basest instinct that we have—that and procreation—and even that is a competition! Sometimes we don't even realize it, but we compete over almost everything. It provides us with the drive to excel; it allows us to reach that (seemingly) unreachable goal. It provides purpose in our lives. What a dull and drab life we would live without competition and sports. If you're wondering about the "Meeechigan," then you need to learn a little bit more about Michigan football. The real reason I grew to love Meeechigan football and why I started listening every fall Saturday religiously can be traced to two people. Bob Ufer was the voice I listened to every Saturday when the Wolverines went to war. There was no better example of a man who bled maize and blue than that man. He lived and died for every game; he lived and died during every game. There was never one so energetic, so faithful, so poetic, so passionate, so absolutely "cotton-pickin" crazy about Michigan football than that man. I love listening to my CD of Bob Ufer. It drives my Dad crazy. My Dad didn't like Ufer much, basically because "all he does is scream." He tolerated me listening to football every Saturday. This is where I have to disagree with my Dad. I'll call it unmitigated passion. That's Bob Ufer. That second person is Bo. Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler died Friday morning. I was absolutely stunned when I heard the news. I'll tell you now that I didn't do much else on Friday than listen to the radio and read the articles on the internet as everybody reminisced about Bo. The man is legend. "The General" is probably shaking hands and having a good laugh with Woody right now. I can honestly tell you that he is one of my icons, one of my heroes. Why? Because of his determination, his passion, and his humanity. He cared about everyone and always had something to say. It didn't matter who you were, he cared. He listened to you. He lived by a couple of axioms: "What the mind can believe and conceive; the mind can achieve." He lived by those words and his players did as well. Bo had a plaque made shortly after he arrived at Michigan in 1969: "Those who stay will be Champions." He just didn't mean on the field either. He meant it for life. He demanded the very best from everyone who played for him and Michigan. It meant that you had to work hard for everything: football, classes, work, and life. It's hard not to respect that. Even I have a "Bo" story. I actually met the man, very briefly, at Bon Secours Hospital. He was visiting one of his former players (good guess). I had brought a patient into the ER and he practically walked right by me. It wasn't hard for me to recognize him. He stands out like maize and blue. But he did take the time to shake my hand and say "Hello." So…what am I trying to say? I guess I'm trying to say this: Be rich. Not in money, for that only goes so far. What really matters in life, in love, in your job, in anything you may do, is—in a word—passion. Be rich in character, rich in your beliefs, your desires, and in what or how you do something—anything. Be passionate. Bo and Bob cared so much in what they did and how they did it. They epitomize Michigan football. When you think of Michigan football, its traditions, and what it means to millions of people, you think of Bo and Bob Ufer. That's what people will remember the most about them. But it isn't just that. Sure, on the surface, this all seems like sports. Dig deep and you can see how and why it means so much (or should) to all of us. What or who I care about, how I do my job, how I live my life, what I do with my life. That's what I hope people remember most about me: that I'm truly passionate about everything I do, who I care about and what I care about. Hail to the Victors! May God bless you Bo! Respectfully, Mikey P.S.: Here are a couple of articles that fit the bill: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=2666291 http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2666059 http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2666106 Here's something else I found that doesn't really fit in with the topic, but should be a vivid reminder of why we do what we do. It's to give opportunity. http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=2666130 Mikey 00:57 0 Comments 0 Kudos