“Marching steps!” the skating coach calls, and I watch my little Kara trip over her tiny boots, blades catching on the ice. My heart skips a beat when she falls. She looks so small on the wide expanse of white ahead of her, so clumsy as the coach comes to an unnaturally graceful stop by her side.
Read MoreFor all intents and purposes, my football career ended on a cool October day in 1984 in New Rochelle, New York. I was 13 years old and playing linebacker for the Fairfield (Connecticut) Giants. We typically beat our local rivals but struggled when we’d cross state lines and play Westchester powerhouses. New Rochelle’s star player was a kid I knew from football camp named Curtis. He claimed to be related to a former Heisman Trophy winner but that assertion had as much veracity as my family ties to Bernie Parent, the Hall of Fame Philadelphia Flyers goalie.
Read MoreIn the top of the fourth, Randy Papke, the beer guy for sections 121 and 122, sits down. After a two-hour rain delay, there are plenty of empty seats. He finds a nearly abandoned row behind the Giants’ dugout, avoiding the spot where old Louise had been sitting, further down. He slides the insulated crate into the walk-space and follows it. He’s on the verge of being canned but sits down anyway. Well, the boss practically ordered him to. He can still sell Bud Light but the fans will have to come to him. They’ll have to pour their own.
Read MoreAfter Miguel Cabrera hits his 499th home run
I make you guess all the members of the 500 club
You take it so seriously
Give it more thought than the time
The ensō is a sacred symbol in Buddhism. The circle represents many things: life, connection, strength, the void, letting go of expectations, and the beauty in imperfection. It is a symbol of enlightenment. It is traditionally drawn using only one brushstroke as a meditative practice in letting go of the mind and allowing the body to create, as the singular brushstroke allows for no modifications.
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