Back when I was running Windy City Soccer (RIP, 2007-2017), I would write a Christmas Message to help cap off the year. This year, I have decided to write one here, not just to let you all know that we are still active, but there is still a lot to talk about.
Looking back as the last one I wrote, it was in 2016 and I started by saying that the theme was clear: Hoping next year will be better! Indeed, 2021 at times has seemed like a carbon copy of 2020 except that we have vaccines to at least mitigate the worst effects of COVID which has sadly been given a fifth wind this month and is again disrupting plans left, right, and center.
Some people were inclined to give up on 2021 just six days in. My lament on that day was that too many people are failing to be human beings. We sadly saw that in the soccer world this year, particularly when it came to the NWSL and some of it teams.
We seem to once again be at or near rock bottom yet again. Perhaps it’s a good thing that “Sing 2” is out now, one of Buster Moon’s favorite sayings in that and the first movie is that the good things about being at rock bottom is that there is just one way to go–and that is up.
We could all use the wisdom and kindness of “Ted Lasso” these days. The show’s accolades and those for its cast could not be more well-deserved. We could use some inspiration from the AFC Richmond coach nowadays:
There is something worse out there than being sad, and that is being alone and being sad.
— Ted Lasso (@TedLasso) October 18, 2020
On that end, I think Nicky of the Thea Sisters said it best one time when she said, “We’re not alone…We’re Together!” (See “The Madagascar Madness” for reference. You also probably thought I was going to bring up a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic reference!)
We are in this together and we need to realize, as the five mouselets from five different continents (as well as the Mane Six from MLP) do, that sometimes the best way to combat evil is to do good. No act of kindness is too small and no task is too tall when everyone is working together.
To quote Margaret Mead:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
For 2022, hopefully we can find the inspiration to come together and make it a better year than this one. There will always be darkness in the world, but there will also always be those who find the light! (There’s your MLP reference!) Whether it’s a fictional American coach in the Premier League, a fictional mouse from Australia, or a real famous anthropologist; the theme should be that we all need to come together to find that light.
May you have a safe and healthy holiday season and we hope to see you at the other end of New Year’s Day.
