Tough Day.

It could have been a good day....it held some promise...but at the end it was a disappointment - I'll share the ups and downs. First the ups....

We closed a big contract - that I have been totally devoted to for the last 6 months. It is the largest in our company history for this type of effort. It has been a see-saw battle.....and finally the deal is signed. It is the biggest deal I have closed in my career. That would seem pretty positive....right? Well its not that simple....a lot of folks think we should have not taken the contract - the economy is pretty tough....like I said...it was a see-saw thing...and winning is questionable.....quess it depends on knowing a lot about the future...and I only know about the now.

I got home....to find out that a long-time Texas hero of mine had passed, Dandy Don Meredith. I have spent many of Sunday afternoon with my Dad watching Dandy Don and our "Dallas Coach of Coaches", Tom Landry battling to achieve a standing in the NFL. I am living in Wisconsin now, and I remember the "ICE BOWL" which most folks agree was one of the NFL's greatest games......Dandy Don...was our Quarterback....playing against the legendary Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr. Great game...and the cowboys lost....which is ok..it was a great game.. But now we have lost two winners.....Vince Lombardi and Don Meredith. This is one of the few things I don't like about life.....losing people you love. I just can't quite reconcile it.

Speaking of losing....we may have an upside on the day....Princess Tita, our 15 year-old minature schauzer ...had been having seizures all week end....we thought she was a gonner also....holy smokes she has been two days without another seizure....seems to be eating normally. With luck...maybe she just had a reaction to the cleaning products that the cleaning ladies used (pinesol and lysol). There are some reports that these things can injure dogs....especially if ur dogs drink from the toilet....which ours sometimes do. Maybe...with some luck...we can keep our old dog a while longer.

It has helped me to write this down. I realize that while I have suffered some losses, I have also had some wins, and some of the losses that I was expecting have, may have, at least, been delayed.

Vince Lombardi in his most famous talk...which I know by heart at this point...said...

"Winning is not a sometimes thing. It is an all the time thing. You don't just do things right some of the time. You do things right all of the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing."

Vince was right about everything he said. Unfortunately, in the big game of life....losing is real...which includes losing people and things you love. Like losing your dog....or your hero Don Meredith. And to tell you the truth....losing these will make you cry. I am crying now. But as someone else said (I can't remember who).....

"Show me a man who doesn't mind losing...and I'll show you a loser."

So though today I had a win....or 2 ...I also had some losses and am reminded of previous losses which include my Dad, Tom Landry, Vince Lombardi, Coach Huddleston, and now another hero Don Meredith. So if you don't mind losing.....well there u are...

I guess the tears prove that I am not a total loser. I hate losing.

All the best...

mike