In sports the idea of “being there” when “it” happened has kind of been lost in the past year. I was reminded of that this week when I saw the Drexel Men’s Basketball team make March Madness for the first time in 25 years. The game was played in an empty gym at James Madison University, instead of on campus, where they as the top seed would have been mobbed by students, my son Andrew being one of them, as they got to go to The Big Dance. I was also reminded when I watched the first day of the Big East Tournament yesterday and instead of picking out the faces of hundreds of colleagues sitting in the rows of seats behind the scorers table, I saw big banners and few people. “Being There” still pretty much means being here, in front of a screen.
And that sucks.
A year ago, today I know exactly where I was. I was in my basement watching TV, when the word of Rudy Goubert testing positive came down, and the images of Mark Cuban being shocked sitting courtside at a Mavericks game flashed on the screen. Then there was news of Tom Hanks testing positive in Australia, and the Ivy League cancelled their postseason tournament, my colleagues at the National Lacrosse League scrambled via text messages to come up with a decision to cancel games that weekend, a season which never resumed…and then…and then…and then… I was still contemplating going to the Big East the next day for that ill fated first half, but didn’t…
And off we went.
What a year.
Now it’s not like we haven’t learned a great deal and picked up many positives that will be applied for our business, and our lives going forward. However, as the sun comes up today you have to think about all we have missed vs. all we have lost. High fives and hugs, randomness of seeing someone on the street or the subway, coffee shops in far off places, smiles not masked by cloth, just feeling safe and normal. Losses bigger than any game, experiences we have missed. People we have seen on screen not in person.
“Hard work & experience are essential but so is timing. And so is luck. Don’t ever discount the importance of luck in determining your opportunities and your future.” Alex Trebek.
What a year.
We aren’t out of the woods at all, but we are getting there, and the lessons learned and the experiences missed will make those simple things hopefully much sweeter going forward. We have found new things to do with our time which can blend into the normalcy, and on we will go. Young people will hopefully see this as a blip in busy lives going forward and will make up for the lost time in ways, we can’t even yet imagine. And we will continue to get a sense of normalcy.
But while we will move ahead, we must remember.
Remember the people, the places, that we didn’t get to or that we lost. Remember the little things we need to do. Remember what it is like when you go to a game or a movie or a show and say thanks. Thanks for being here, thanks for being there, thanks for having this right now.
Often times when one attends a conference the focus is on the biggest and most successful names telling you their path to glory. I have often asked to learn more about what someone learned from loss, because while we all don’t experience victory all the time, we do experience loss, and we learn, should learn, more from loss than we sometimes admit. This last year has been a time of more loss for everyone than any other year. So, did we learn? Or will we forget. We should never forget, and yes, we have learned and need to apply those learnings as we move forward, and this weekend spring ahead again.
What a year.
Can’t wait to see and hug you all soon.
It’s been too long.
“Being There” will be even better.
