Predictably Unpredictable

I love football – almost as much as I love massive amounts of people collectively going crazy. So I’m a little upset I didn’t trek into Manhattan last night for the big game.

See, I never really gave the Giants a chance. They had been overachieving throughout the playoffs, and the Patriots, well, they are simply the best team I’ve ever seen. I still feel that way a day after their first loss.

But that’s the great thing about sports: They teach us important lessons that transfer well beyond the field of play. So this morning, when I found out the room I had counted on moving into at the end of the month would no longer be available, it didn’t really take me off guard. I mean, it still sucks. Don’t get me wrong. But at least the news didn’t sucker punch me.

Go back and look at interviews with Patriots coach Bill Belichick after the game, and that’s the look of a man who got hit with something he didn’t see coming. And that’s a position you never want to be in – especially while trying to get on your feet in New York City. Cuz in this situation, a sucker punch can knock you out.

I guess what I’m getting at is the significance of being prepared for anything – good or bad. Sometimes a job you approach as a long shot ends up calling you for an interview. Sometimes an apartment you think you’re locked into winds up becoming unavailable. But in either situation, you’ve got to be ready to tackle the next day.

Another lesson from sports is to stay on your toes. Regardless of the game, you’ve got to be ready to react in a split-second. The same can be said for this city. Whether it be preparing for an interview or dodging a taxi on Broadway, you’ve got to be prepared (or at least open to the possibility) of anything.

Don’t believe me? Just ask Tom Brady.

[Ed’s Guy acknowledges that the majority of his audience is female, and thus, would probably prefer he not dribble on and on with sports analogies. He will try to limit these in the future. But, unlike Giants receiver Plaxico Burress, he will not make any guarantees. Damnit! Sorry. He’s seriously done.]