“Two generations in this country is a long time. You’re talking about the early settlers–the people I know are mostly just common people. Common as dirt, as the saying goes.”-Sheriff Bell NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN-Cormac McCarthy

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A Rambling that will lead to College Football…eventually.

There was once a man who has since passed. This man worked every day of his life as many have. From the young age of 9 he began working. It’s all he knew.

From the Blacksmith shop picking up scrap metal shards, to the Tavern mopping floors, to loading bags for the stage line, he did it all between the age 9 and 16. Every day but Sunday. On Sunday, he observed a rest day as was accustomed in his culture. Working, suffering, and toiling for 6 days and on the 7th being grateful for it all and enjoying a rest. This was the culture of his town where he spent his growing years.

At 16, he lost his only parent and left the town. The stage line hired him as a driver, and he put all of his effort into the task. He loved getting to go town to town, meeting new people, and the opportunity for dangers during which the Shotgun next to him would be called to action. A Shotgun was someone that sat next to the Stage driver and held a shotgun to fend off bandits.

This young man was living day-to-day just working as hard as he could and starting to make a real living when a horrific event left him crippled.

While transporting a load of currency from a rural town bank to the large federal bank in the city, the stagecoach was ambushed.

With it being a higher risk of robbery, two more Shotguns road along in back with the money. This did not deter the twelve bandits that opened fire on the stagecoach as it passed through an open meadow.

The young driver slapped the reigns and screamed for the six-horse team to increase their efforts while the Shotguns returned fire. As the meadow gave way to forest, the road tightened and the bullets stopped flying, but the respite was short-lived for just around the corner, a danger lie in the road that the young driver did not suspect.

You see, the bandits had no intention of taking the stagecoach by force in the open meadow. No, no. They merely wanted to force the Coach to increase their speed into the forest where they had strategically placed a large tree across the road.

–Long story short. All three Shotguns lay motionless on the ground, the money was taken, and the young driver left for dead.

Full strength was never regained but he recovered. He lost his right leg, the use of his left eye, and was left with a permanently hunched back posture. It was enough to make anyone want to quit life.

Thankfully, he was taken in and cared for by a local businesswoman out of the goodness of her heart. She educated him and taught him to channel his hard work into new skills in order to give him a new purpose. Much patience was required but the young man began a different kind of work. A new purpose that he worked, suffered, and toiled with every day but Sunday. He always took one day to rest.

Years went by. Then, decades.

He enjoyed the comforts of luxury and expansive grounds on which the home was built and worked on his new skill without anyone knowing. Well, no one except the kind woman that provided for all of his needs. Financially speaking. Her wealth provided for his needs.

One day, a teenaged grandson was visiting and found himself in the Ground floor’s East Wing, which was off-limits to anyone. He sneaked down the hallway and crept through a door that was slightly ajar. He tiptoed through the dimly lit room to the desk in the middle where a disfigured man sat hunched looking through a permanently fixed magnifying glass.

The sight of the man frightened the lad at first, but the kind voice that spoke quelled his fears.

“Are you lost young man?” The young boy stammered. “No, um yes–yes sir. I think I’m in the wrong room.”

“Nonsense” the man jovially replied. “Come here boy. Tell me what you think of these things.” He gestured to the boy to come closer to the desk and the boy curiously inched forwards.

“Wow! You made all of these!” The young boy exclaimed while looking at each hand-carved, expertly painted figurine on the desk.

“Oh yes. These and plenty more over the years. Go look and see.” He gestured for the boy to the relatively large table.

The youngster observed the table in silence for several minutes. He walked alongside the table and studied the details trying to take in what he was seeing.

The entirety of the table was made into a map with different terrains represented and different characters strategically placed. Mountains, a plateau, lakes, rivers, forests, towns, roads, horses, people, armies, bandits, and animals of all types. All expertly hand carved and painted.

“Well, what do you think son?” Asked the man expectantly. “I don’t even know what to say. I think–I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever seen. Can you tell me about it?”

The man spent the next two hours and told the entire story going all the way back to being a boy. The young teenager had many questions along the way, but the one I’ll highlight for this sports blog is this.

“Are you still angry with those bandits? I know I’d be angry if someone did that to me.” The older man smiled and answered simply. “Angry? Far from it. I’m happy they did that to me. I never would’ve built all of this had they left my stagecoach alone.”

“But you can’t do anything else. Doesn’t that make you sad?” Another gentle smile and soft answer, “When you get to do the thing you love most every day, why would you want to do anything else? — This is what I was meant to be.” He motioned to his missing leg and eye. “If I didn’t look like this, then I couldn’t have become what I was meant to be.”

“And what were you meant to be? A carpenter?” This time a slight chuckle came from the hunchback. “A writer.”

It was at this time that the young teen noticed the built-in shelves that surrounded the room packed with leather bound books. He walked to the nearest shelf and the saw the same name at the bottom of each one.

“This is you, isn’t it? These books are all written by you.” He said with an excited amazement. The man nodded.

“Wait! I’ve read this one.” He grabbed one book and unwound the binding to reveal the first page. He scanned it and then exclaimed, “I’ve read this book! Back when I was nine. This was one of my favorite stories! Is this the original?”

The man quickly responded, “No, no. That is the revised version your grandmother helped me put together. My original versions wouldn’t be shelf presentable. Scattered, marked through, wrinkled, tattered, and barely legible. They are put away safely.”

“So, you sell your books? What about the figurines?”

“I don’t sell anything. This is all I do. If anything gets sold, it’s because of your grandmother. The fact that you’ve read at least one of my books tells me that she’s sold at least one.”

“Doesn’t she give you money from the sales?”

“I’ve got a roof over my head, food to eat, and a job to work every day. For a man in my position to ask for anything more would imply that I’m ungrateful. I’m grateful for everything.”

The young teen didn’t understand that. He thought it sounded unjust to not make money from the books and this added to the injustice he felt that the bandits had done to him to leave him crippled. He shared these thoughts, and the man tried to help him understand.

At the end, the man left the teen with one challenging thought. “Life is bound to get a little confusing at times, maybe even a bit unjust, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find the positives in each moment. Life is viewed through the lens of perspective. Either you want the lens to reveal the good or the bad. You get to decide.”

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So, here are five positives through my lens from this past College Football Saturday.

FIVE CFB POSITIVES

• Missouri St won again!

Missouri St beat Liberty 21-17 and continue to thrive after their recent promotion from FCS. Jacob Clark’s words from the Summer are ringing true. “We aren’t going to back down to anybody.” He threw for 286 yards and 3 touchdowns in the win and continues to be the leader of this team. The Bears are 6-3 and will host the Miners of UTEP next.

• Montana 10-0 after beating Eastern Washington 29-24

Michael Wortham totaled 162 all-purpose yards and one touchdown in the win.

Whether in blowout fashion or by somehow, someway the Grizzlies continue to find ways to win.

Next for the team from Missoula, at 1-9 Portland St 3:00 PM Espn+

• Arizona Bowl Eligible

‘Bear Down’ Arizona beat Kansas 24-20 on Saturday to earn their 6th win in dramatic style.

With thirty seconds to go in the game, Arizona scored on a twenty-yard run to take the lead. A true “Bear Down” type of win. John “Button” Salmon would’ve been proud.

I’ve been behind this team all season. A group of underdogs led by an underdog. Bear Down Coach Brennan. Keep beating the odds and shirking the haters.

• UConn over Duke 37-34

UConn is 7-3. I missed this entire game, but the matchup had me intrigued all week. This is me celebrating that UCONN is good at football. It looks like a National Semifinal basketball matchup from the past featuring Calhoun versus K, but this is the oblong football version. Well done Huskies!

Air Force at UConn at Noon on CBSSN

–Liam Szarka versus this team will be fun next week.

• Kennesaw St 7-2

Kennesaw St are riding a seven-game win streak after dropping to Indiana by 45 and Wake Forest by 1 and currently have control of Conference USA.

This team was 2-10 last season and worth a moment in the spotlight.

Big game this week: The top two in CUSA Kennesaw @ Jacksonville St play in primetime on EspnU. Both teams are 5-0 in conference.

–So, there you go. Five positives from this past College football weekend. It’s lunchtime here in Utah.

Let’s count our blessings.

Find the Humor and Keep on Movin’

Whit W.

Thank you for reading.