Expect A Miracle. Not.
I got up this morning and brushed my teeth with my Cincinnati Bengals toothbrush. I rinsed out the shower with my Bengals cup. I donned my Bengals shorts, socks, and long sleeve undershirt. I put on my orange and black basketball sneakers. Lastly, my Bengals jersey with “BERSTLER” stitched on the back that my son so lovingly had made for me. I wrote a list of things to do today on a Bengals sticky note. I am now writing this blog using my mouse to navigate on my Bengals mousepad. After this blog, I will wait until 3:00pm and watch my beloved, formally hapless team to see if they can advance to the NFL’s version of the Holy Grail, The Super Bowl. But I am not expecting a miracle.
That cliché, while inspiring to many, I feel is not entirely accurate. There is another platitude that tells us not to have any expectations, that way we’re never disappointed. I try to have hope. I have faith that things will work out. Expect a miracle. No.
I get it metaphorically speaking. Trees, a miracle. Getting up in the morning each day, a miracle . . . However, I feel it’s more about seeing the good in our lives, and people need to be grateful for all these things normally taken for granted, if seen as miracles, will humble you. My guess is the majority of the immediate gratification, self-absorbed population, get pretty pissed when they’ve been expecting a miracle and they don’t get one. I believe having hope and faith for a positive outcome is more realistic, better for the soul, and no less satisfying when what is seen as miraculous does indeed happen.
I liken it to the lottery. If you play expecting to win, you are bitterly disappointed, perhaps to the point that you’ll never by another lottery ticket for as long as you live. Thus, eliminating any hope of winning anything at all. If you play with the faith that you one day may win, you get to imagine what it would be like at the possibly even though your chances are slim. Perhaps a secondary prize would shine on you. They’re pretty sweet, trust me, I’ve done it on more than one occasion.
As a sports historian, I had the opportunity to do some research into the import of sports in our society. I read where the productivity in the city of the home football team drops dramatically when the team loses. More people call in sick on Monday and it’s not all hangovers. The emotional investment of so much of the population is so great, and the amount of games so few, that the expectation of winning is so high it can be a societal detriment. For me, the prolonged futility of the Bengals is such that I rarely expect them to win for many years. Do I have hope that they will win? Sure. Do I have faith they will win? Always. It’s one of the core principles that keeps me loyal. Do I get frustrated? Absolutely. Do I expect the Bengals to win? A resounding no. Will I be disappointed? Perhaps. However, I will be grateful for what this season has brought. I will have hope for the future. I will see the good.
I am hoping the Bengals will make their 3rd Super Bowl appearance which a win will bring today. I have faith that they can. I am sure the city of Cincinnati and its people do too. But judging by the research, I wouldn’t buy Skyline Chili tomorrow if they don’t.