Play up, play up, and play the game
Sir Henry Newbolt
(Vitai Lampada)
The following analogy is drawn from Australian Rules Football. I hope
it translates.
The Game: Life
The teams: You vs. Parkinson's Disease.
Note: PD is not the only other team in competition, but it is the
one you are drawn against.
Rules: There are no rules. Anything goes.
Note: As there are no rules there are no referees (umpires, etc.)
Note: Despite popular belief, the above is not an actual quote
from the Aussie Rules rule book.
Scoring: Minor Score (1 point).
For: every time you smile. (Allowance is made
for frozen parkie faces)
Against every time you moan
Major score (6 points)
For: Any time you decide you have earned it
Against: Any time you drop your guard.
General: This game is played at a furious pace. It tends to be a
high scoring affair with absolutely no concessions made
for injuries or weather conditions.
Team Composition:
The opposition: God only knows. Subject to change without notice.
They seem to have a lot more than 18 players on
the field at any given time.
You:
Backs and
1/2 Backs: Every bit of character and experience that you gathered
before the start of the game against PD. You can keep
the back line strong by maintaining outside interests and
continuing to broaden your experience. Remember
defence wins games.
Centre line and
Ruck: That part of you which latches on to the ball (information
and/or strength of character) and feeds it to the forwards.
1/2 Forwards and
Forwards: Positive Mental Attitude - taking responsibility for your
own medication - making informed decisions about
surgical interventions etc.
The Backup
Coaching Staff:
Head coach: Neurologist
Assistant Coach: GP
Important Note: The coaches are important to the team. Their advice is
invaluable. However YOU are the one on the oval (field).
Always be aware that during the game you will have to
bare the brunt the attack. Never be afraid to discuss with
the coach how you want to play the game. Always
remember the coach is there to serve the team, and you
are the whole team.
Support Staff: No analogy here - they comprise:- physiotherapists,
masseurs speech therapists (have you heard some foot-
ballers speak) etc.
Club Admin. Back to the analogy - our immediate family. (Truth be told
they cover a lot of the support staff jobs as well).
Club members: Our extended family, friends. They cheer our wins,
commiserate at our losses, help out when asked.
Fans: The full spectrum of our aquantances. They like to
see us winning, they will cheer our victories, but don't
be surprized if some of them drop out through the bad
times.
And you thought you were alone in all of this!
GO THE "SHAKERS"
Dennis.
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Dennis Greene 47/10
[log in to unmask]
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