Beyond the Game

It was the night of October 19, 2018.  I was in my bedroom at home getting my homework finished for the weekend, so I was prepared for my busy weekend.  I was planning on working at a Farm Bureau event on Saturday, and we had a family event to attend on Sunday.  Plus, as an avid sports fan, it was my civic duty to watch whatever game was on that weekend.  Especially that weekend.  It was the Ohio State-Purdue football game, and my Boilermakers were sure going to have their hands full.  With this schedule on my mind, I worked meticulously on my Calculus homework, making sure that I had no scholastic distractions for my busy weekend.  

Then my phone rang.  I was slightly confused at first because it was pretty late for someone to be calling.  I answered the phone, and I could tell my friend on the line seemed anxious.  “Hey, what are you doing tomorrow?”  he asked.  I briefly gave a summary of my busy weekend ahead and asked why they were interested.  “Well,” he said, “you know the Purdue game is going on this weekend, right?”  I laughed.  Of course, I knew the football game was this weekend!  “Well, I just so happened to run across two tickets to the game—second row—and I was wondering if you would want to go?”

As crazy as it sounds, I initially said no.  I was never the kind of person to do things that altered my schedule—especially a two-hour drive to West Lafayette.  All through school, I would turn down last-minute invites to hang out with some friends or would get extremely nervous when something was not planned out ahead of time.  I needed to have concrete plans.  

I tried to make up excuses for why I could not go.  I told my friend that my weekend was too full. I claimed that our chances of winning were so slim that it would not be worth the trip.  And I tried to say that my mom would not possibly let me go.  However, my friend saw right through these excuses, I got the okay from my mom, and after about thirty minutes of discussion, I finally agreed to head to the big game.  

I believe that most of us know the story; and for those that do not, the Boilermakers came back with a historic 49-20 upset over the #2 team in the country.

   I was lucky that night.  Less than twenty-four hours prior, I had insisted on skipping out on going to the game. I was blinded by my fear of disrupting my schedule, and never took into account the amazing things that would happen if I just let myself step away from my schedule.  Yet, thanks to my friend’s persuasion I witnessed one of the biggest events in Purdue football history.

    Take advantage of those opportunities. When a friend asks you to hang out, go with them. When your home football team has a game, go to it. You never know when those small ordinary things may turn into something extraordinary. Do not be afraid to break away from whatever schedule that you thought you had planned.  You never know what might happen beyond the game.