Protean (by the Disciple)

Protean.

It has come to this. It is finally upon us.

The game is about 48 hours away and I can still not believe it.

It is like Christmas for a child or the wedding day for lovers. It is a day that has been planned for and dreamed about since thought began. The moment finally gets so close you can touch it and you have no idea how to comprehend it all.

I want to first of all thank everyone. I have no idea what will happen in a few days and how it will change everything. But, before we get to that day, I want to extend a warm feeling to all of those who read this. I want to thank you for taking time out to listen to me.

Like most writers I am very self-conscious and have little confidence; but this has been my outlet. Thank you for reading this and allowing me the faint glimmer that I am an actual good writer and I entertained you.

With that taken care of, onto business. I have started with a one-word title. It is written as a nod to the great John Updike. John passed away earlier this week and I have never met him but read his work. So, as a reader, I will utilize the word that best described him as a person.

Protean is stemmed from Latin. It is an adjective to describe changing identity. It is understood that you are of many skills and possibilities and have a high skill set that will allow you to adapt to any situation.

I would like to think that I have this characteristic but like with anything in life you will never know until you are tested.

The Cardinals could be described perfectly with this word. They are a team that has changed and morphed and evolved in front of our eyes. They are a team that has shifted the criticism of millions for years of losing. In one season they have become trendy.

In the Valley it has boomed into chaos. The Cardinals are the toast of the town and people are displaying their new allegiance with the greatness that is the Cardinals on a daily basis.

This is an amazing accomplishment and causes a smile across my face. I do not truly know how to express the feeling it causes. Every time I think of the circumstances I begin to lose myself from the moment.

I begin to think back to all of the pain and heartache that I have felt. It’s not even that I felt it as much as I experienced it.

The Godfather is the patriarch of all of this. He is my Uncle and my mentor. I have shaped myself in the mold that he has created. I am the person I am because of him and I want to dedicate this to him.

He is the person in my life that keeps challenging me. He is the inspiration that I strive for. He introduced me to the Cardinals. It was an introduction that was not easy; but nothing worthwhile ever is.

My family and I moved from the East Coast to Arizona in 1994. I was all of 10 years old. My uncle lived out here and I had never truly known him. I had an understanding of who he was and he sent me Christmas presents; but there was nothing concrete past that.

We moved to Arizona and thus began the love with for the Cardinals. It was easy to love the Cardinals because they were so accessible. We would go to games and watch with 20,000 of our closest friends as they tried hopelessly against the best teams in the league.

People would beat the Cardinals down and constantly look at how horrible they were. Then there was my uncle, unwavering in his passion. He was always collected and measured with his understanding of the Cardinals.

He was Zen-like with his patience for the team and was a crusader to keep the Cardinals up when everyone else pushed them down.

I was part of the masses, too. I would make fun of the Cardinals and boo when they were getting beat badly. I was right on that bandwagon to execute anyone inside of the Cardinal organization.

This is not all in the past either as just a few years ago I was still in this thought process.

I was walking on campus of Arizona State University when I ran into Bill Bidwell. He was exiting his car and I noticed who he was by his amazing attire. I walked up to him and acknowledged who he was. He appeared to be excited by the fact of being recognized. I prompted to tell him:

“Bill, can you do me a favor? Sell the team so they can win.”

Then I walked away. I didn’t wait for a response or anything and left him confused with what had just happened.

The next anecdote will be the turning point on when I knew that I loved this team and will no matter what ever happened.

The Stoic had come into town and we went to the last game of the year against the Minnesota Vikings. The Cardinals had 3 wins and were in line to get the number one pick in the draft. The Vikings needed to win in order to make the play-offs

Prior to the game we made numerous signs that were negative and blasted the Cardinals. We also proceeded to climb to the top of the upper deck and wear paper bags over our face to show how we felt when we mentioned we were Cardinal fans.

The game ended with the Cardinals winning on the last play with an improbable 30-yard touchdown pass. The Stoic and I couldn’t believe it and we tore of the bags and assumed our identity as one of the few true Cardinal fans.

Those stories did indeed happen and they come to light with the current situation that we have. The Cardinals are about to play in the Super Bowl. They have become the hot item and they have become the trendy team to like. This is only because they are winning.

I go back to my Uncle as my mentor because he has never wavered. He has always stayed supportive. It is a way of thinking he lives by not only for his football team for his life.

In life it is easy to join the crowd and feel the pressure to act in a certain way because people expect that of you. It is difficult to follow your heart and do the thing that is not accepted.

We are constantly placed in a situation that causes us to question our true identity. Identity is a very difficult thing as it is a variable that changes everyday. Our personal identity is something that we cannot be sure of from hour to hour.

We need to become more protean with our actions. We need to become more skillful and prepared for everything that will happen in our lives.

If you want to become a true Cardinal fan you need to understand this. You need to understand that everything in life is difficult and the best moments are usually had in the most difficult times.

When everyone has abandoned you and your cause; but you remain standing for it you become liberated. When everyone doubts you and believes that there is no way that it will work out, but you keep working to prove them wrong that motivates you.

Challenge everything and be prepared for the success that will follow.

My uncle is my mentor and he is the reason I am the person that I am today.

Everyone that is reading this has changed my life and will continue to do so in the future. To what level or where the journey may take us, let’s just enjoy it.

Enjoy the company you hold Sunday and I am already tearing up at the end of this to think that I get to sit next to my uncle and family and the people I love in my life and enjoy this brilliant moment with them.

I am sappy today but that’s what happens when a dream is about to come true.

Let’s enjoy that dream as one on Sunday and I cannot wait to see everyone that has a piece of my heart for the magic we are about to create.

Take care and I will be talking to you again.

Love ya and don’t get caught thinking too much and ruin the moment.