All things come to an end

"...for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." Shakespere, Hamlet Act 2, Scene 2

Ones health, much like the weather, is usually viewed from a perspective of wellness; of one's ability to enjoy their current situation. If you are not feeling well, then you must be ill - a duality we've come to accept almost in its inevitability - but more correctly, wellness is merely the scale upon which one's health is measured, and you may find yourself anywhere along the scale from gravely ill near one end, to stupendously well at the other but we as a society don't have many gradations of wellness beyond the midway 'well' mark, now do we?

Once you're feeling 'well' there's no need to discuss your situation further, you're no longer ill, so you're fine! Get along and enjoy your life, stop moping and complaining and get 'r done! But there must be increments of wellness beyond that middle ground that we could use to distinguish and rank our health, could there not?

Or are we just so ego-laden and deluded of our own self importance and so thirsty for the need for acknowledgment from others that we have unlimited numbers of health problems and complaints to share with anyone who dares ask "How are you?" Or maybe you've already come to the realization that if you ask dear friends that particular question they'll honestly share how they are feeling with you, when what you really meant to have said in greeting them was "It's good to see you again!" I'll be honest - many days I'm thankful for the ones who respond with "I'm fine, thanks!"

We do it with the weather. We use it as a greeting when meeting more-distant acquaintances, "Nice weather we're having!" or "Sure has been cold these past few weeks..." It's a conversation starter that's assumed safer than politics or religion or (see above) even one's health! But again, the reality is that weather just is. There's no good or bad weather; alot of it depends on mood, and expectations and wishful thinking and planning outdoor events that would be so much better experienced in 'good' weather, rather than 'bad' weather. But who's to say what makes weather good or bad? And why give the current meteorological conditions the power to influences our enjoyment of activities?

I'm feeling better these days, still the occasional cough, and some residual stuffiness and sniffling but my face finally feels like it belongs to me again, and my head is much more calm. I'm doing well. It could be worse, it could be better, so I'm doing just fine, thanks.

The 11A2 Greendell Falcons met their demise this past Sunday, at the hands of the Fort Garry Flyers, well, not so much at the hands of the Flyers, than due to that wonderful unpredictable force that is life. The Falcons fell behind 1-0 in the first despite having outshot the Flyers 6-2, save for a deflection from a point shot that found the back of the net. The action was so intense that there wasn't a whistle in the opening frame until 7:42. The second period was more of the same, close checking, the Falcons much more physical, but the Flyers found a way to score again, making it 2-0. But with 25 seconds left in the 2nd, the Falcons got one back, and took the momentum with them going into the third. They outshot them 7-2 in the final period but couldn't beat the goalie, or the posts, or the crossbar, and even with the net empty in favor of the extra attacker and all kinds of pressure, it was not to be.

Final score Flyers 2, Falcons 1. End of playoffs, end of season.

Sad dejected faces, some tear stained, some not, all disappointed in varying degrees, met us as we entered the dressing room afterwards. As coaches we are so proud of them for their determination, their hard work, their effort and never backing down, working together as a team, and we told them they had nothing to be ashamed of or sorry for, and so many reasons to be proud of who they had become. From 15th place to 6th when it was all over, more wins than losses in the 5 playoff games, not only beating the top seeded team, but knocking them out of the playoffs...

It was a great game. The outcome wasn't what we had hoped for, but then life doesn't always give you what you want, does it? I'm feeling better, and the weather has been very Spring-like, and hockey's over for another season. It's not our place really to judge whether anything's good or bad. It just is. And you know what? That's just fine with me, thanks.