Fear the Reaper
Hello, could I speak to someone in customer returns? I’d like to cancel my subscription to the year 2025.
What “no returns” policy? I was not informed of this policy. All sales are final?
Well, isn’t that just fitting.
So far, the first 14 days of my 2025 have pushed into the running with 2020 on my “all-time favorite years” list. They say it’s never as good or as bad as you think it is, but I am sure ready for some good news.
When things seem to be knocking you down or falling apart at every turn and in every facet, you’re left to search for some sign that things are going to improve.
This morning, I found mine in the form of an old t-shirt.
The shirt says “Fear the Reaper,” an ode to a frantic comeback from Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in a playoff football game against the Buffalo Bills. Kansas City fell behind by three with just 13 seconds to go and about a quarter-mile from field goal range. The Bills finally had the Chiefs dead to rights.
Then Andy Reid delivered a quick quip to Mahomes as he stepped onto the field to pull off one of the greatest clutch moments I’ve ever seen.
“When things look grim, be the grim reaper.”
Even the most hardened of hearts against Reid, Mahomes and company has got to admit that’s a fantastic line.
There’s a time for heartfelt, warm messages. There’s appropriate moments for “it’ll be okay” or “you can do it” or all the things we tell our loved ones when they’re going through a difficult time. I’m a huge advocate for compassion and understanding in almost all tough circumstances.
But sometimes, there’s no feelgood. Sugar-coating isn’t going to make the turd sandwich taste better. Sometimes, there are stretches of life that just stink and the only thing to do is suck it up and overcome it anyway.
You can’t tough your way through everything, but you can show toughness in difficult situations. Often, you’ll realize that things weren’t actually as bad as they seemed. The missing ingredient was just a little determination.
After all, Mahomes didn’t even need 13 seconds. They lined up for that field goal with three ticks on the clock.
