Football Stories

Hi Readers,

Thought I'd give you a rest from my deep philosophical writings from the past few days !

As much as they are very therapeutical for me to write, I still need to consider my audience !!

So what better way than to regale you with some funny and not so funny experiences I have had on the football field, back in the day when I played this great Australian game.

I can guarantee that some of you who read this will have similar memories triggered, please feel free to add them in the comments. You can be totally anonymous !!

Laney

I have been very good mates with a bloke who I'll refer to by his nickname, even though he'll recognise who I'm talking about. I'm pretty confident he wouldn't sue me !!

Laney was an exceptional footballer, highly talented and sought after by many clubs.

At the time I was playing for a team called Buninyong, and Laney was recruited by a rival team, Springbank. 

Ironically, a few years later Laney and I played together at Springbank !

Anyway, as usual, I digress. Don't I every post ?

Laney had been unable to play for a year due to a serious knee injury, something that is an unfortunate and all too common thing that happens in Australian Rules Football (for my overseas readers) If you are unlucky enough to "do a knee", it's usually a minimum of 12 months away from the game before it is strong enough to play again. There are always exceptions of course, but that's the norm.

As our two teams were playing each other that weekend, Laney and his wife came and stayed with Jenny and I for the weekend as we were all great friends.

Of course, we went to the game the next day in seperate cars so that our team mates wouldn't see that we were mates.

At the start of the game, before the first bounce it is usually a tradition to shake the hand of your opponent. As Laney and I weren't direct opponents, but playing near to each other, we walked across to shake hands.

For some reason, he had this cheeky smirk on his face as he approached me.

Just as we were about to shake, he quickly did a little spit into the palm of his hand then grabbed mine and shook it warmly.

All the while with a smirk on his face.

I can still remember how slippery it felt.

Before I could do anything else, or withdraw my hand and wipe it clean, some of my team mates who witnessed this immediately piled on Laney  and gave him a few well placed punches and roughed him up for doing what they saw him do to me.

Poor Laney was covering his head as the punches rained down, while I'm trying to stop my team mates by yelling "Stop, he's a mate of mine, he was just playing a prank !!"

Eventually they relented, but my team mates were watching him closely for the rest of the game and doing all they could to make him earn every kick.

Didn't work that well though.

We got smashed, and I think Laney kicked around 10 goals and was best afield !!!

What makes this great game so strange at times was that after the match the players and supporters from both teams did the usual gathering afterwards in the clubrooms for a few beers, and I introduced Laney to my team mates.

He hit it off with them immediately, and dominated the after match festivities just as much as he did on the field !!!

As I said earlier, I ended up playing alongside him a few years later, but playing against him was just as much fun.

When the supporters are rougher than the Players

This is another tale from when I was playing for Buninyong,

We were playing against a team who at that time we had a fierce rivalry with, Bungaree.

For some reason these games always ended up with lots of fist fights and players doing their darndest to inflict as much pain as possible on their opposite numbers.

The game started well, everyone going in hard, but none of the expected fireworks seemed like eventuating at all.

Yes, there were some hard hits, but all within the rules, but none of the players felt there was any need to take things further.

The game was actually really enjoyable to play as we were all doing what we were meant to be doing, rather than worrying about trying to take off an opponent's head !!!

The same couldn't be said about the spectators though.

I think they came expecting to see fireworks on the ground, but as the game wore on, the likelihood of this occurring seemed more remote by the minute.

As our games last around 100 mins, longer when the breaks are included, the amount of beer being consumed around the various fire drums place around the ground to warm the spectators increased markedly.

Not satisfied with hurling abuse over the fence to the opposing teams, the spectators started hurling abuse at each other.

As the amount of beer going down increased, so did the abuse and threats to each other.

Pretty soon a few scuffles broke out amongst the spectators, which was quite amusing for us as players, as usually we would provide this entertainment !!

However, late in the game an almighty scuffle broke out in the crowd, over an area of roughly 40m wide.

It was on for young and old, but the game kept going.

Pretty soon, a few people were thrown over the fence and onto the ground and the melee went up a few notches.

Within a few minutes there must have been 50-60 spectators covering one end of the ground having a good old ding-dong and doing all that they could to remove each other from the human race !!!

As for us, the players who were sort of expected to be doing this instead ?

The umpires stopped the game, and the players from both teams gathered in the middle of the ground and watched incredulously the scene that was playing out before us.

I can still remember having a bit of a laugh with the opposition players, as they did with us. We were all mingling freely and commenting on what we were seeing as the police eventually came and cleared things up.

How strange was it, that the people who were sort of expected to have some fireworks ( the players ) ended up being the ones witnessing it !!

The game restarted, I forget who won, but I can remember the abuse each team copped from the opposing supporters as we left the field, and how players from each team were doing all that they could to shut their own supporters up as we just couldn't see the point of it. We were in more danger from the opposition supporters than the opposition players!!

Maybe they were all just frustrated that we didn't provide the expected fireworks, so they just created some for themselves instead.

Happy Birthday Rails

For this story, I was no longer playing for Buninyong, but had switched clubs and was now playing for Springbank.

Once again, to prevent lawsuits, I'll stick to nicknames !!

One of my team mates, a bloke who I went to Boarding school with was Harry, and he was playing for Springbank too. And for this story, it once again involves Bungaree.

Bungaree and Springbank are two small districts on the outskirts of Ballarat. 

Pretty much everyone is related in some way to each other, but come Saturday in football season, all bets are off. I've never witnessed so much venom between two teams before !!

And then once the game is over, everyone is friends again !!

Digressing again 🤭

Harry once played in another local competition, and so did this other player who was today playing for Bungaree. His name was 'Rails".

Rails and Harry had played in opposing teams, and had built up what I'd describe as a "respectful hatred" for each other.

Now they were in the same competition again and just happened to be playing on each other this day.

Just as I mentioned in the Laney story above, just before the game started we all went to shake hands with our opponents.

Harry walked to his position to be met by a sneering Rails who shoved his hand at Harry and sarcastically hissed "Well, well, this must be my birthday !!"

Harry shook, but said nothing and didn't enter into the banter from Rails.

Obviously Rails thought this was going to be a great day for him as he was clearly intent on inflicting as much pain as he could on Harry.

The game was played and to cut a long story short, Harry made Rails look like a statue. He was running rings around him, jumping over him for marks and kicked a bag of goals as we went on to a great win over Bungaree.

It's always a tradition to shake the hand of your opponent after the game, as Harry walked over to a very sheepish, down trodden and embarrassed Rails, he put out his hand and said just three words.

"Happy Birthday Rails !!"

Bullets

There seems to be a pattern here with a team that features in these stories !

Yep, it's Bungaree again.

We had a team mate who had a reputation as being a bit loose, both on and off the field.

On this day he seemed more agitated than usual, and a few of us were more than bit aware of this as we ran onto the field.

Rather than doing the usual hand shake before the game started, he was going up to different players and chesting them and saying something very quietly into their face before pushing them away.

My opponent mentioned this to me by saying "You'd better get that bloke off the field, he's dangerous"

I asked why and my opponent opened his hand and showed me.

"Your team mate told me that if I get any more than a few kicks I can expect a few of these through my car window tonight"

In his hand was a live bullet !!

This team mate had taken it upon himself to go out and threaten a few key players from the opposing team by taking some bullets out onto the ground and issuing them to a number of players in the hope that he would totally put them off their game.

Surely he wasn't serious, but as we knew what he was capable of, we alerted our coaching bench and he was ripped off the ground immediately.

He still remained around the club for a little while after that, but I don't think he was ever selected to play for our team again.

What might have been seen as joke by him was clearly taken seriously by the rest of us.

Dirty

This story does not involve Bungaree !!!

However, it does involve my own flesh and blood, one of my brothers who we nickname 'Dirty'. If you want to know why, just ask him!!!

Dirty was playing for his local team in NSW and had a particular knack for putting off his opponents.

Overseas readers, this next bit is for you. 

In Australian rules, if a player takes a mark (catches the ball) or is given a free kick (penalty) an opposing player stands where the infringement/mark occurs and puts their hands up to cover that player as they take their kick. 

This is called standing the mark.

By putting your hands up high and wide it gives the player with the ball less chance (hopefully) of getting the ball past you, so they have to take extra steps backwards in order to create space to be able to kick the ball.

 Dirty worked out a way to combat this however.

If he received a free kick or took a mark, and the game result was pretty much already decided ( he played in a poor team then) he would make the person standing the mark really earn their stripes.

Rather than kick it over their outstretched arms, he would just kick it really low and hard and hit them in the stomach ( or lower 🥴) with the ball, leaving them doubled over in pain, while he and everyone else was usually doubled over in laughter !!!

He said that this was especially effective when using a wet ball !!

The result ?

Next time he received a mark or free, the player on the mark would be extra nervous, as he was in two minds as to whether he would use his hands to cover the space above his head in order to help the team, or cover the space between his legs to preserve his chances of being able to add to the human race at a later date !!

Dirty said that this was one of his ploys, but secretly I think he may have just been covering up the fact that at such a late stage in the game he just didn't have the energy left to roost the ball any higher than this.

Still, I'd be very wary !!

Mr Andropolous

As I mentioned earlier, I played most of my football for Buninyong, then switched clubs to play for Springbank. These two teams played in the same league.

I'll protect names here for obvious reasons !!

In order to swap clubs back then, clubs needed to complete a clearance form and had to have permission to swap players.

Clubs would usually have no trouble doing this as players often left the district or came from other districts. Just swapping clubs in the same league was often a little problematic, and often clubs would refuse to clear players if they felt they had no good reason to seek a switch.

This was what happened to me.

Buninyong weren't prepared to release me, while Springbank were quite happy to take me.

Leading up to our first game, I kept asking my new club if I had been released yet.

 "Yep, you'll be right" was what i'd get.

Game day comes and I ask if I'm okay to play and I get "Hmmm, we might just have a small problem". That was it.

Instead of getting my kit from the car, I just waited around, expecting not to play.

At the last minute a club official runs up and says "Moose, get your gear on, you're right to play"

Beauty !! I play and our team loses (hopefully not because of me ! ) and I'm looking forward to a great season with my new club.

However...

I must point out that I travelled to the game with a friend who was the Umpire for that match.

Umpires receive a list of each team and their numbers to sign before the game.

In the car going home it was very silent for some reason and I couldn't figure out why.

Then my friend turns to me and says slowly "Tell your club to get their S%$T together before next week !!"

He then goes on to say that as he read through the list of players, he saw my number with my name next to it, but my proper name had been scribbled out and something like D Andropolous written beside it instead !!!

Clearly I hadn't been cleared to play, so a fake name was used instead.

I sweated out the next few days, expecting a knock on the door from the Football League Secret Police, thankfully I was safe.

But I did make sure for certain that I was okay to play the next week, under my own name !!

All sorts of weather

Football is a Winter sport, and playing in Ballarat was an experience, as it is renown for having very bleak winters.

Many others who have played the game on really cold days would have been through this as well I'm sure.

During the breaks at 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 time the players are given water and cordial to replenish fluids.

On some of the really bleak days when you are shivering and covered in mud, the last thing you want is a cold drink !

I remember this one day in particular when we weren't even sure if the game would go ahead due to the weather, the fluid replenishment took a drastic turn.

As we gathered in our huddle at 1/4 time, the usual cordial and water was there, but another option was being offered also.

Hardly what you might recommend to a group playing sport, but a few bottles of the traditional Stone's were being passed around as an alternative to the usual offerings.

I'd be safe in saying that just about every player had a swig ( or two) before heading back to recommence the game.

While it probably had no physical benefit, the psychological effect was huge !!

And just to show how bleak it could be at times, check out the condition of the ground here.

In the background there is just a small strip of green, the rest of the ground was mud.

And not just soft mud, but thick gooey mud that your boots would sink into.

No chance of the ball bouncing, it just got stuck and at every opportunity there was just a wrestle of players ( a new collective noun ??) trying to get it.

Usually players would just try and kick it off the ground, so instead of trying to mark it, you were more often than not trying to protect your nether regions !! (Refer to the Dirty story above )

And this photo ?

In what was a very bleak year for Buninyong that year, I think we won only one game for the year, and it was the last round and we only snuck in by the meagerest score.

Still, I remember it as being my most enjoyable year of football with Buninyong.

We didn't have much to celebrate during the year, hence the banner, but that is what made my time with this club so memorable.

Well Readers,

There are many more sports stories to share, but that's it for today.

Consecutive days and consecutive posts - what will it be like when I eventually get back to work????

Until my next post...

Cheers 😁

 Six Eggs

Hi Readers,

Yes, I hear you already, "What is this bloke on???"

What on earth could prompt him to write about 6 Eggs ???

Bear with me while I explain the background and context to this post, and I hope you get where I am coming from.

I'll admit from the start that the examples I reference are a bit indulgent, but they need to be for authenticity and to hopefully get my message across more clearly. I wouldn't be able to do this if I didn't have first hand examples to relate to.

Get my drift?

I am currently reading this book by Hugh Van Cuylenburg, and to borrow a cliche, it's a book that "I just can't put down"

I only read a few pages a day as I like to reflect on what I have read. Often the main points make even greater sense to me a day later after I have mulled over them for a while. 

Sometimes I have similar experiences to Hugh that I can remember from times in the past, or even currently.

You might be thinking that it's a bit strange to read a book this way, as it is a book that could easily be read in a day or two.

I just like prolonging the enjoyment of what I am reading.

The same applies with Neale Daniher's book which is still in the finishing stages.

What I particularly love about the book written by Hugh is that he doesn't need to be inspired or touched by people and experiences that he sees online, or reads about in other books. He talks about everyday happenings and encounters that he has had with everyday people.

Could that be what stops so many of us from being inspired by others?

Do we feel that we can only be influenced by famous and well known people and events, rather than the people and experiences in our day to day lives?

Are we frustrated at not finding inspiration online or on tv, when it might be actually staring us in the face?

I know in my last post I am guilty of this, and happily so.

I continue to be inspired by the story of Dick Hoyt, and this story is known world wide.

But what I want to focus on today are the experiences that only I know about, and hopefully encourage you, my readers to try the same.

What happens in your daily lives that you would generally forget, when in reality they make an actual difference to you and others ? (Hopefully a positive or enjoyable difference !!)

Hugh talks about speaking to various NRL Rugby teams, and I won't give away what he explains (so now you'll just have to read his book !) and the responses that he felt he was getting from them at different times.

So often, what we perceive, and what is reality can be poles apart, and Hugh discusses this and shares his experiences so well.

His story about Martin Kennedy couldn't demonstrate this any better.

The book is filled with similar accounts of people he has dealt with over time, some well known, but most are just your average person from his daily life.

How more authentic could this be?

I've had similar experiences in recent years when I was presenting some workshops at a Maths Conference in Melbourne. I was lucky enough to get a full room to my workshop on the first day, and at the start there was me up the front facing about 80 faces, all with the "This better be good" look on their face ! 😬

Just like the Michael Kennedy scenario, I couldn't tell if my session was going down well or not, but this was soon put to rest that night when I received a lot of emails saying how much they enjoyed it, Phew !😅

The next day I even had a few people who attended the session come up to me and thank me, and that they had told others to come to my session that day. They didn't need to do that, but it made my day.

So, let's get to the point of this post. As usual, I digress !!😖

After being inspired by Hugh and the way he acknowledges and recognises people in his everyday experiences, I began to look back on my days and try to see where similar things have happened with me, either intentionally or unintentionally.

By this I mean that I have to choose to make some of these things happen by the way that I consciously choose to interact with people.

In a previous post ( Yep, blatant self plug again !!) I mentioned that if we choose to do these things consistently, they become more than a habit, they become part of who we are.

Over time, we don't really have to make an effort to do them, they occur naturally.

I hope I am becoming better at this.

So here are a few examples that I can recall from recent days that I have been involved in that might explain my thoughts a bit more clearly.

6 Eggs:

Where I am staying at the moment is an establishment that caters for people from the country or interstate who need accommodation that is close to the hospital while a family member is receiving treatment. We have only a short distance to the hospital, which makes a challenging time just that much more bearable.

We do not have much contact with each other as we are all basically isolating in order to keep our family members away from any sort of infection risk. In these COVID times they are even more vulnerable than most of us.

As I was waiting for the lift in the foyer last week, I was checking the various piles of mail to gather what was ours. Next to the mail were a few six packs of farm fresh eggs, with a note saying "Please take one" and explaining that this lady's husband brought them down from their home in Ballarat to share with the other residents.

How generous and thoughtful was that!

Here is this couple trying their best to care for their son who is unwell, and they still take time to consider the other families here. They would not know who would have taken the eggs, but I bet they would know how it made them feel. As I have got to know them I am not surprised by their actions, and I'm sure they wouldn't have done it to receive thanks or praise.

It was empathy at its simple best. They know what others are enduring, and little actions such as this may seem so trivial, but count for so much. Just that knowing that someone is looking out for you is so special.

I'm sure that any of the other families who came back from hospital that day and saw a packet of eggs for them would have been just as touched as I was.

It does make one start to think "What can I do for others?"

The Pharmacist

At the hospital each visit I need to visit the Pharmacy and collect the next round of tablets etc.

It is one of the busiest places with so many people working there and constant queues.

Yesterday we were there until late, and by the time I had to collect the prescription it was nearly closing time. I handed over my ticket and the pharmacist was polite and quick in sorting it out, but I could see that he was a tad flustered also. He asked me a number of questions about the various medicines, most of which I just shrugged my shoulders to as they weren't for me. He was so patient, and as it was soon organised, I took them and said 'thanks' , then  "I hope you've had a good day".

As busy as he was, he stopped and smiled back at me and gave the warmest "Thank You" just for that comment.

He then said "I'll know it's a good day when I leave here soon"

We then had a quick chat and he said the comment I gave was just what he needed at the time as so many customers had been abusive towards him and other staff if their prescriptions weren't prepared quickly enough. He said it was not often that he was given a compliment, people just grabbed their things and left in a hurry.

I also understand why people may be abrupt here as they are most likely in situations where they are dealing with serious issues in their lives. He said they probably don't realise they are doing it most of the time, so he feigns frustration and remains as calm as he can, but it still hurts him at times.

So just by saying "I hope you've had a good day" cheered him up just that little bit, even if he hadn't. Hopefully he went home in a good frame of mind, and maybe even said the same thing to someone else.

It just felt good putting a smile on his face and showing him that people do value him and his work.

Earlier in the day when I was dropping off a number of complex scripts, the lady who served me was similarly patient, albeit a tad flustered too as they were so busy.

As I left, I casually said to her "Everyone here treats us so nicely, especially when the scripts are lengthy"

She stopped what she was doing, took her hands off the computer keyboard, smiled at me and gave the warmest "Thank You"

It only took a moment to say it (and I meant it) but this 10 second interaction could just be the difference between a good day and a bad day.

The Lift

At the hospital, everyone appears to be in a hurry, and I get that.

The lifts are in banks of about 5, and each has a letter of the alphabet above it.

If I want to go to Level 3, I use the touchpad and press 3. A recorded voice then says which lift is going to Level 3 next. Takes only a few short moments.

Yesterday I was in a bit of a rush to go from the level I was on to the level a few floors down where the pharmacy was. As it was nearly closing time for the pharmacy, I was in a bit of a rush.

I used the touchpad, pressed for L.2 and a voice said "LIft Q"

I dutifully walked over to the lift and just as the doors were closing I heard the touchpad outside say "Lift Q" in response to another person requesting to go to the same level.

For a split second I thought about letting the already closing doors shut and send me down to the next floor, but just as quickly I put my arm into the door space to hold them open.

Next second, an older lady who was puffing a bit jumped in the lift with me and thanked me profusely for holding the lift for her. We even had a quick pleasant chat in the lift.

Immediately I had a rush of the guilts as my first reaction was to just let the doors close so I could get to the pharmacy more quickly.

We both got off at the same floor, and, as it tuned out, both were going to the pharmacy.

As she was being served by someone at the same time as me, I could tell by her tone that she was very anxious and in a rush.

The pharmacist said that her prescription would take a while, to which the lady replied ( very politely mind you ) "Is there any way it can be done as quickly as possible as I need to catch a bus and it's a 2 hour trip to get home?"

Thankfully they said it would not be a problem, she got what she need and shuffled off.

How bad did I feel now!!!

Just a few moments earlier I was prepared to let this person wait for another lift, at a time when she was desperately trying to get home. I wasn't to know this, but it was a powerful lesson.

Waiting for the next lift might have only added 1 minute to her wait, but to me it felt like I had nearly cost her an hour. 

Her gratitude towards me for saving her just that little bit of time hit home so strongly.

If I was in her shoes I'd be annoyed at just missing the lift, but I was prepared to do it to her, even though I had a last minute change of heart.

I still feel bad about it, but if anything, I don't think I'll be letting the next lift door shut without checking if someone else needs it too.

Well Readers,

Today's stories just go to show that we learn so much from the positive things we try and do for others, but also how the opposite applies also. It’s not hard to sit back and look through our day and identify the times that we have made a difference to others and vice versa, both positive and negative. Trust me, it’s quite rewarding!

I get the good vibes when I feel I have helped someone else, and hopefully the negative vibes I got from my lift experience can be kick in the bum I needed at that time to be more aware of the needs of others.

The last few posts have been inspired by Hugh Van Cuylenburg, but I'm thinking of sharing some football stories in my next post. I have quite few funny and not so funny examples to share!!

Until my next post...

Cheers 😀

 

A True Ironman Story

Hi Readers, 

Two posts in a day !! Clearly filling my time productively !

I was teaching a class a few years ago and I was gobsmacked with the attitude towards a fairly simple task by a few students.

"This is just too hard"

Most of the group were coping easily, but these were some of the more able students complaining. I think it was because whatever we were doing wasn't exciting enough for them, and they just wanted out. I get it.

A few days earlier I had come across this clip and knew that it would come in useful at some stage. Little did I know I'd use it just a few days later.

Rather than lecture the kids on what is hard and what isn't, I just waited for the moment.

At this school the kids ate their lunch in the classroom so as to reduce the amount of rubbish in the playground. I'd usually put on some quiet music, read a book or play a short video clip that we would later talk about.

On this day I asked them to bring their chairs closer to the screen as there were things in the clip I'd hope they would pay greater attention to.

I read the notes below and a gradual hush descended upon the group. Already they were starting to take an interest in what was to follow.

IT ALL STARTED IN 1962, RICK HOYT WAS BORN

In 1962, Dick and Judy Hoyt gave birth to their son, Rick Hoyt. During child birth, Rick’s umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, cutting off the supply of oxygen to his brain. He was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy.

The doctors advised Dick and Judy to institutionalise Rick because he was never going to be anything other than “a vegetable.” Dick and Judy refused and brought Rick home, to raise him like any other child.

IN THE SPRING OF 1977, RICK SHOWED INTEREST IN RACING

Rick told Dick that he wanted to compete in a 5-mile running road race to help raise money for a high school lacrosse player who had been paralysed in a recent accident.

Dick, a non-runner at that time, pushed Rick for the full 5 miles. They finished next to last, but not last. Later that night, Rick typed “Dad, when I’m running, it feels like I’m not handicapped.” And that is when it all started.

THE ASSIMILATION OF TEAM HOYT, FOLLOWING A DREAM

Since that fateful day in 1977, Dick and Rick, becoming known as “Team Hoyt,” has finished 255 triathlons (6 being Ironman distance and 7 being Half Ironman distance), 22 duathlons, 72 marathons (32 being the Boston Marathon), 95 half marathons, 35 Falmouth 7.1 milers, and a handful of other various distance races. Team Hoyt has a marathon PR of 2:40:47 and half marathon PR of 1:21:12. Dick and Rick are also two of only 27 total members of the Ironman Hall of Fame, carried the Olympic torch in 1996 and in 1992 they ran and rode a bike from Santa Monica, California to Boston Harbour in 45 consecutive days. Team Hoyt has competed in, and finished, more than 1,100 events.

The bike leg

The specialised running chair.

Changing legs in the Ironman

The swim leg.

Acknowledging The Hoyt Family, Team Hoyt and The Hoyt Foundation 2021

https://teamhoyt.com/the-hoyt-family-2-0/

The fact that we had a boy in the class confined to a wheelchair meant that they were already accustomed to dealing first hand with disabilities.

One of the kids was quick to pipe up with "Mr K, are you only playing this clip because it's about sport and you like sport so much?"

"Well, yes, partly correct, but a coincidence" was what I told them. "But come with me on this, you'll see why I'm showing it to you"

Okay. And then I showed them this clip.

https://youtu.be/ts8F6dV_0uM

You could have heard a pin drop.

The kids commented that they could really see in Rick's eyes that he was totally aware of what was going on, particularly at the finish when he was waving to the crowd and looking around.

And when he looks at the computer screen and smiles produced quite a few deep breaths and "Oohhhs'. 

The message really hit home, and we pretty much got rid of the 'It's too hard' attitude there and then.

Yes, there were still times when the kids were challenged with tasks, but they began to adopt a more positive mindset and a "I can" attitude. They would at least have a crack rather than not try.

I'm not suggesting we all go and do an Ironman, I'm just pointing out that perhaps we are too quick to give in.

This is an example of using it with kids, but it is not limited to only kids.

I regularly share it with colleagues and the results are similar.

Suddenly our experiences aren't as tough as they seem anymore, and are temporary.

Occasionally we have a look at the clip again and I notice for the next few weeks afterwards there is an uptake in the efforts from the kids, and they are more prepared to have a go first, before seeking help. Plus they don't display as much frustration if things don't necessarily go their way.

The same goes with me.

Whenever I think I'm doing it tough, I just have a think about this clip and it's the perfect reality check.

Sadly, Dick Hoyt passed away last year, but his legacy lives on.

Well Readers,

I hope you have a look at it and gain some level of inspiration.

Until my next post...

Cheers 😁

 

Who Packs Your Parachute ?

Hi Readers,
I've always wanted to use this story somewhere on my blog, and after my recent post about "Gratitude' I received quite a few messages from readers who were touched by it in some way. 

So, why not strike while the iron is hot, as they say !!

I have used this with various classes that I have taught, and also with staff that I have worked with.

Read the story, and as you do, have a think about the purpose and intent behind it.

What is he thinking?

Has he lost the plot even more than usual ?

Or...

I get it !

I can see why this is relevant.

Maybe I can use it too ?

I'll leave some ideas at the end to show how I have used it with great success.

Charles Plumb was a U.S. Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent six years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now speaks on the lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. "You were shot down!" "How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied.

Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!"

Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."

Praise what you want to flourish.

Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, "I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor."

Serve even when you are not seen in the act.

Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

Who’s packing yours?

Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your parachute?" Who has done something that has helped make your day safer – or easier or more pleasant – or who have you witnessed “packing” for someone else? Recognise them right away.

Each of us are touched by individuals who provide what we need to make it through the day. Some help inadvertently. Praise that person anyway. You are supporting the kind of behaviour you respect – making it more likely to happen again.

We all need several kinds of parachutes.

Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory - he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say “hello,” “please,” “thank you” or “congratulations” – looking that person full in the face, without rushing the words.

As you go through this day, take the time to recognise those who packed your parachute.

Thank you for packing mine.

Ways that I have used this...

In my classroom last year we discussed this story, and how it wasn't actually asking us to physically pack a parachute for others, but to look out for each other and do things that would just make life a little bit easier.

The focus was on not seeking acknowledgement for doing it, rather it was to become an action that could possible become a habit, and become infectious.

With the use of Post-It notes ( I use these constantly- thank you to whoever invented them!!!) we created a wall of possible actions that we could do.

These were called our RAKS, or Random Acts of Kindness.

Examples ?

So simple, and often not even noticeable.

• Putting their chair in under the table.
• Tidying up their desk
• Asking them to join in with them during recess/lunch
• Inviting them to share a book or game in class
• Making a positive comment about their work or answers in class
• Smiling as you make eye contact
• Saying good morning or goodbye, depending on the time of day
• Eating lunch with them

As I wrote in my last post, if we do things like this regularly for a period of time, we soon become conditioned to doing them naturally. Pretty soon I could see the results of this in the comments that they were receiving in their Letterboxes, on the Wanted poster, and in the Peer Muttleys.

(If this is all as clear as mud to you, then go and read my previous post)

For those of you who aren't teachers like me, this can be done just as easily in your own workplace.

What stops you from trying some little things that benefit others, and also make you feel good?

With the staff, after sharing this story, over the next day or so (while the message was still relevant) I'd leave a post-it note on their desk with a little message like:

You pack my parachute when you pop your head in the door just to say good morning.

You pack my parachute when you took that phone call for me.

You packed my parachute when you popped that coffee on my desk just when I needed one.

You packed my parachute when you took time to check on our colleague.

You just never give up.

etc.

We see and notice what others do for us and other people, but rarely do we acknowledge it. I'm not saying we have to be doing it every single time, but just when people do not expect it can be the perfect and most appropriate moment.

Being seen as the person who ALWAYS does this ALL THE TIME can have the adverse effect of losing some of the meaning.

You'll know when the time is right !!

Also, it can be totally random and anonymous. Imagine how you'd feel finding a post-it note on your desk/chair/car highlighting something someone values in you, but they remain anonymous?

The intrigue adds to the self fulfilment !!

The beauty of doing this is that it enables EVERYONE to do it.

Some people are very confident in expressing their gratitude verbally, others may be a bit shy about it. Both are fine.

This strategy enables everyone to pass on their gratitude, and they still have the opportunity to remain anonymous.

I'd love to leave a Post-it note on the desk of the man who checks QR codes at the entrance of Peter Mac Hospital 📝 (Read my last post- more blatant self promotion of my posts !!!😂 )

With what has been happening in my world over the past 6 months, and is still continuing, I am having my parachute packed constantly by family, friends and colleagues who continually send me messages, phone calls, texts and emails.

I moved away from my home town 40 years ago, but two friends in particular from there who I count as my closest are regularly ringing and contacting me just to check in and see how I am going.

They are a constant reminder why we have remained so close for so long, even though we may not see each other as much as we would like to.

Pure hearts of gold, I owe them so much.

Well Readers,

My last two posts have been a bit deeper and less light hearted than usual.

No apologies for this, I just write about what grabs me at the time (Once again, read about this in a previous post !!🤣 )

Usually when I need my think time I go for a run/ride/walk/workout, but at the moment I am pretty much housebound, with so much think time on my hands so my writing is my think time, hence the more regular posts.

My next post will hopefully bring a tear to your eye or a lump in your throat if I can get the video clip to load. It's a cracker, one of the most powerful clips I have used with students and staff.

I can't wait to use it !!!

Until my next post...

Cheers 😁

p.s If you'd like a topic covered in a post, leave a comment. I may be able to share something related to it. eg Funny experiences with cooking, travel, teaching, sport, renovations, parenting etc. I have heaps !!!