Throwing the Hail Mary

Hi, there. Good to see ya.

Sorry it's been a few days. Haven't felt too well. Pull up a chair and have a seat. We'll get caught up.

Here's some free advice from somebody who doesn't know all that much. If you have a passion, live it. Breathe it. Go grab that brass ring. And for goodness sakes, don't worry about what others think.

I think about all the fun I've had down through the years. If I had stopped to worry about what somebody might think of it, I wouldn't have done half of them. And my life would be the worse off for it.

Here's a little secret I've learned from dabbling in newspapering. If a subject means something to you, chances are, it will mean something to the reader if you do your job correctly.

People ask me all the time why I share certain things with the world. I shrug and reply, "Because it meant something to me."

Somebody got onto me about carrying on in the paper about one of my favorite subjects. Said I crossed a line.

Blah. The day I become too indurate to write about what I feel, take me behind the barn, and aim real good.

Think back on your favorite TV show. Remember that favorite piece of music that makes you climb the walls. Heck, look at your first crush.

You can't explain those things. They just happen. Thus it is with your passion.

If yours is baseball, practice seven days a week. If it's guitar playing, you'd better strum those strings more than you breathe.

Just go for it. Forget the odds. Overlook the scoreboard and throw the Hail Mary pass, if that's what it takes.

And don't ever --- ever --- be worried about what somebody might think.

Let your heart soar high and far above the clouds. Make as much noise as possible. Jump up and down until somebody notices you.

Hit the ball. Strum the guitar. Sing the song. Write the words. You'll be glad you did.

Just as long as you don't waste time glancing in the rearview mirror.