Loyalty

I am a person who values loyalty. I am comforted by the loyalty that surrounds me through my friends and family. Knowing there are people standing behind me makes me feel wrapped in love. It makes me feel better. Stronger. Valued. I try to look for opportunities to be loyal to my favorite businesses and business people. I try to be loyal to my small town local businesses. It is not always a convenient part of my day to be loyal. Sometimes it is easier to get everything at Wal-Mart instead of stopping by all the little shops to get what I need. Sometimes Wal-Mart decides to discontinue what I need, such as maternity clothes, and when my old maternity pants won't fit anymore I have to make due with the big girl yoga pants instead because that's all they have but that is another post for another day. Sometimes I don't want to burn the extra gas and time to maintain my loyalty. But I do try. And I value loyalty.

My loyalty transcends into athletics. Maybe as an exercise physiologist I should be a sports fanatic just for the love of hard work, talent, and competition. But I am not really a sports fanatic. I am a team fanatic. I get invested in my team. I loved the Olympics because of Team USA. Team USA is my team. I like to watch the Cardinals, but if the Cardinals are not playing I am not interested. The Cardinals--my team. I like to watch my people participating in sports. I will root for my kids, nieces, nephews, and friends every time. I get invested in the people and the group comprised of those people. So it is not just for my appreciation of athletics that I watch. It is because I care about my people and my teams. I care about who wins. I try not to get so caught up in it that it will kill my mood for an entire day or anything when my team loses (as my husband might) but I like my teams to win.

I guess I will just come on out and tell you that my favorite professional team to watch is a football team. After last Sunday, every sportscaster on TV was labeling my team as the worst team in the NFL. It is not always easy being a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, but they are most definitely my team. My husband was so disgusted with them he was trying to rationalize why we are sticking with them at all. My husband, who has loved them as long as he can remember is on the verge of jumping ship. My husband, who is responsible for my transformation. I always liked the Chiefs, but I use to be someone who followed their win/loss record. Now I am someone who wears red and gold after church on Sundays. I do not plan anything outside of our home for that 3 hours every Sunday afternoon. I know who they are playing and if the game will be on at noon or three o'clock. I check the website to learn the status of injuries. I watch the games. I talk to Coach Herm and many of the players as though they can hear me. I admit it. I made a big fleece Chief's blanket that we snuggle under. Yes, I did. With fleece, a sewing machine, and thread. I like them to play well and be successful, but regardless of the outcome, I look at it as serious family bonding time and I love it!

I am not a fair weather fan. I will not be embarrassed by my devotion. I value loyalty. Even when they may not score a point until the 4th quarter sometimes. So I explained to Kevin that we are not Chief fans because they win the most games. We are Chief fans because they are our team. We value loyalty. This is the real thing. In good times and in bad. I explained that we will endure this season and look back on it to better appreciate when times improve. I believe the loyalty of their fans will make them better and stronger. While I think I helped Kevin with his issues, don't let my pep talk fool you. Do you really want to know where I am with this right now? The more we lose this year, the better our draft picks for next year. It is not always easy being loyal, but there is always a silver lining. Sometimes we just have to look at the bigger picture.