Dani Rojas, a soccer-playing character on the TV show Ted Lasso, is known for his motto, “Football is life!” Dani is a Mexican national playing in England, hence the word “football” rather than soccer. He’s the team optimist, the good guy, the one who reminds everyone else to bring their love of the sport to every game. His passion is infectious. One can imagine Dani playing football from the time he was a small child, maybe carrying his ball with him everywhere he went.
I asked myself the other day what equals life for me. The answer will not surprise frequent readers of this blog. I played soccer as a kid, but I was never good at it. And I didn’t really enjoy it all that much. Something else filled me up as a child — art! In all it’s forms. Whether it was a performance by the local children’s theater or an impromptu puppet show in my living room; a finger-painting class at the art museum or a post-class “don’t touch” tour of the exhibits; singing in a youth choir or going to hear the “big acts” at the state fair; story hour at the library or writing and illustrating my own stories, I loved it all.
How many times has a piece of art moved me to tears, caused me to laugh until I couldn’t breathe, made me angry or sad for days, filled me with awe? If those emotions and reactions aren’t the definition of “to live,” I’m not sure what is.
