I know we have a football match today and that there’s a transfer story going on but I want to say that my heartfelt condolences go out to Kobe Bryant’s family and anyone who knew him and loved him.
I was never a Kobe fan but when I learned of the crash and of the fact that his 13 year old daughter was in the aircraft with him, I’ll admit that I cried. I can only hope that in their final moments he was there to hold her, take away some of her fear, and tell her that he loves her.
We also found out that we lost Stuart from A Cultured Left Foot. He apparently passed three weeks ago. Add to that the loss of Goonerholic a few weeks ago and it’s been a pretty grim opener to 2020.
Arsene Wenger once said that death is inevitable and that the only way to deal with death is to turn each day that precedes it into art. All three of the men we lost this month did exactly that: whether through playing sport, writing about sport, or just being one of the best people who anyone had ever met.
It’s pithy to say “we all die” but I do because I feel like we the living shouldn’t selfishly molder on the island of grief. Grieve the passing but as soon as you can, we should celebrate the lives of those who have passed before us. Honor the art that they made – no matter how small – and the lives that they touched.
Post Script: I thought about this post for a while on my morning walk and realized that “make art” can appear condescending or even elitist. But my definition of art is a lot broader than what most people think of as “art”. I don’t think you have to produce a Rembrandt every week, go an entire season unbeaten, write a daily blog, or even paint, take photos or do anything that may be beyond your personal skills. You don’t need to be a professional artist. You can just appreciate the art that is around us all the time.
The other day at dinner with my friend and my daughter, my daughter started playing a game with us. We have a dog named Pork Chop (actually her name is The Pork Chop Express) and she’s a bit.. neurotic. She likes to jump on people, she pees when she meets new people, and she’s also super whiney and gets incredibly excited to meet new dogs – so much so that we can’t even watch dog movies or she will whine the entire time.
The three of us had finished our meal and we were just talking, like you do after filling your belly. Avie asked “what if Pork Chop had antlers?”
“Oh my god,” I said “she’d gore us in the face with them constantly!”
“Ok, what if she could fly?” Avie asked.
“What??” I was laughing now “she would fly in front of the TV and whine at all the dogs!”
Avie laughed and said “yeah, she would fly over you and pee on people.”
“Why are you trying to give Porks the most annoying superpowers!” I asked, and we all laughed.
For me, that’s art. And that’s what I think Wenger said we should try to do every day. I know that not everyone is privileged as I am and that many people work multiple jobs, come home exhausted, and barely have any time to eat much less spend quality time with others. But if I had one wish it would be for you to find some small amount of artful living every day.
It’s not pithy at all, it’s one of the first precepts of Stoicism – “memento mori”. Remember you must die. Our time is finite.
lovely post Tim
Great post Tim Thanks
I am a Lakers fan and hearing about his passing was a great shock. I hope Kobe’s family and the families of all of the people who perished can find some peace.
I just read the comments from the previous post and saw that Yogi’s Warrior who wrote the blog A Cultured Left Foot had also passed. I knew he was having health problems and his posts had become much less regular but I had no idea how sick he was. I started fo follow Yogi in Oct 2008 and followed his blog regularly since then. He wrote a world class blog. His daily posts were always balanced and well thought out and It was a wonderful forum to debate our opinions. He was also a fantastic writer. My prayers for Kobe’s family and the families of all of the people on his helicopter and my prayers for Yogi’s family.
Not a Lakers fan, but I have immense respect and admiration for Kobe. He pursued excellence every day and that isn’t easy to do. It’s easy to put things off till tomorrow. To find excuses not to be one’s best. Kobe was relentless in his pursuit of basketball perfection, and he will always be one of the greatest sports figures of the era.
He was also relentless in pursuit of family time. One reason he started using helicopters was because of traffic in LA: he could either drive home and spend two hours each day in traffic or take a 15 minute helicopter ride and spend that hour and a half with his daughters. He flew because he wanted to spend more time with his family.
Nice detail. I certainly had lumped his use of helicopters in with the “1%”ers who did so as a more ostentatious affirmation of the fact they could afford to do so.
Good points. Good post.
Brilliant bit of wisdom Tim. Good advice. Hmm.
Art is whatever you make of it. Whatever you do to create or be creative. Thoughtful. Thought provoking. Been a designer (web/graphic) for decades. Creating isn’t just production. It’s a process. Then if, then how– you share it.
Pablo deal off apparently. We can’t afford the 7.5m. Shame, he looked like he might be a clever signing (based only on clips I saw online). Maybe try again in the summer.
Did Gazidis abscond with all the dry powder?
Club saying the plan was for Mari to fly back to Rio all along. The deal hinges on it not being a loan but a buy (Flamengo’s decision).
What a hit by Saka. He certainly turned that one into art.
I for one am not going to read too much into the performance, because Bournemouth were shocking, particularly in the first half. They played like they had taken tranquilisers.
Brilliant Tim. I really related to the part about art. Sometimes it feels like just being a decent human being is an art in today’s world. Listening. Being present. Doing something because it’s the right thing to do. Doing something because it’s kind and considerate or generous. You’ve inspired me to keep trying to do these things, and encourage other people to do so as well. Thanks. Here’s hoping it’s not a lost art.
+1
I stopped caring properly about Football some time ago but it’s phrases like “molder selfishly on the Island of Grief” that keep me coming back to 7am. Never stop writing Tim.
I think “Turn each day into art” means using your time to inspire other people which is what Art is to me. This is not done through anything big (usually) but through the really small things you can do to make a person’s life richer.
“That best portion of a good man’s life; His little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.” Wordsworth.
Thanks!