Greetings all! Our gracious host, chingchongchinaman has asked me to fill in tonight since apparently he is having a winner weekend.
Tomorrow is a BIG GAME in the (US-American) football world.
This week, I thought about winning, losing, lessons, and what this could possibly mean for Saturday Night Loser's Club.
Sports
In a regular season of team sports, half of all games are won and half are lost. Half of all teams win their final game, and half lose their final game. In team sports with playoffs, every team that enters the playoffs loses their final game except one.
In track and field or individual gymnastic events, there is one winner and several losers. Or, a first,second,third place and several non-placers.
In sports it seems that there is more losing than winning.
Politics
Our new president, Barack Obama, recently said "I won," as if that ended the debate. I looked for the link, but we-all all know he won in Iowa in January 2008, and he won in November. John McCain lost.
In each political race, there is one winner and one or more losers. If someone runs unopposed, the real losers are the members of the opposing party who couldn't even get someone to try on their behalf. Anyway in politics, there are probably more total losers than winners.
Quilting and Other Crafts
At State Fairs and other Shows, there is usually one "big" winner (overall best) and a few "winners of category" in a few different areas. This is true for quilting, and I imagine it is true in other crafts as well. In the total quilt competition world, there are a small handful of winners and a lot of losers.
Wait a minute, how can a lovely, thoughtfully created quilt with excellent workmanship be a loser?
I don't believe "Winning is the only thing." I'm starting to think winning isn't important at all.
I met a lady named Jan at a quilt class once. She had won a big quilt award in Houston (the biggest show in the USA) the previous fall. We chatted about it - heck, I think the prize was $10,000, which seems like a lot of money for quilting. She was rather nonchalant - and finally confessed it was all luck. She said there were dozens of quilts of equal creative and workmanship quality, and it depended on the judges and their moods.
This book seems to think that the price of winning in sports is sometimes too high.
Every finished quilt, or other project, is a winner. IMO, without humbleness. And on some days, getting out of bed is winning.
Half the players tomorrow will go home and receive a ring, and half will go home and look forward to next season. The points of not winning may be moving on, trying again, doing better, learning, etc.
Now, before I get lost in philosophy, let's chat.