Hanging it up

We all do it. Sooner or later, it is inevitable. We all "hang it up." In some form or fashion, its either leaving work for the last time. Waking up for the last time, its a great day or an awful day and sometimes just a day that ends in death. For a few years in my life I thought i was going to be the greatest basketball player of all time. (Have a hung up the game, NO) But it brings me to a old friend of mine named bob Knight. Who was a mean basketball coach that just retired. He retired a few weeks ago, no press conferance no flair, no nothing. He just left. With some simple words, no chair throwing, no slapping players on the back of the head. A simple, im done and im going fishing. I saw him give an after game interview a few weeks before that where he sat mostly and talked to his grandson and didnt really pay much attention to the press but his eyes had grown old. the fire was gone and you could almost tell it was time to go on. I re read a book called "Playing for Knight" by one of his former players. He talked about how it was harder but knight did it right and I didnt understand that until now where kids are paid, kids parents are paid and all sorts of things influence a 18 year old kid to go to the right school. Knight just said these are the rules and we will play by those rules and we will yes we will win by those rules. We will do what is hard and we will do what is right, he seemed to live by those rules in a life when nobody else did. I can imagine Knight reading an old copy of "old man and the sea" while he and his grandkids fade off into the sunset on a rowboat.

With that: if you are hanging it up on your time or someone elses, do your best to fade into the sunset in your time. Happy,smiling, the fire not so much inflaming in your eyes


till next tyme