My Easter Present

I got a present for Easter this year. It was sitting on our doorstep.

We don’t usually exchange gifts at Easter, though this year Lily’s birthday did fall on Easter weekend, so she got some cards and a few gifts.

Traditionally we used to give our kids some chocolate Easter eggs when they were young – we’d even send them on a hunt to find them.  

The present at the front door, however, was an actual present with a card. It was hanging on our doorknob. But when I took a closer look in the bag, I realized it wasn’t an Easter present for me after all.  

The present was a Hulk action figure … I’m confident I haven’t taken up playing with toy dolls. 

There was a card in an envelope that gave a little more insight into the mystery of the present at our door. There was a name on the envelope, but we didn’t recognize it. 

Somehow, whoever delivered the present thought someone else lived in our house, or they made a mistake on the house. 

Since we’re the original owners of our home and have lived here for the last 23 years, I don’t think they were mistaken on who lived in this house.  

Our guess was that the present was delivered to the wrong address. 

In the process, I wondered who gives presents at Easter … I don’t mean some form of chocolate; I mean a present like you would get on your birthday. 

Then Lily and I remembered how busy the roads were earlier that day. The malls were packed with shoppers. 

We learned later through a Facebook post that Easter shopping is incredibly busy, rivalling that of Christmas. 

I was feeling a little like Sherlock Holmes as I began using my keen detective senses to deduce who this present belonged to.

I opened up my computer and typed the family name in the search line. I was not sure if I had the spelling correct because there was an “o” that could have been an “a”. 

I knew at once I was on to something when several suspects popped up immediately online, all from far away places through. … I can see someone going to the wrong house in a city, but it’s hard to believe someone missing the house by a whole country. 

I narrowed my search to my city and bingo, there it was: the name and address of the people this present belonged to. I knew immediately this was them because their house was one street over from ours. 

I surmised how the mistake had been made. Our two streets are next to each other and are both cul-de-sacs that look similar. 

And when I went to take the present over to the rightful owner, their house was the third house in on the left, just like ours.

A great mystery had been solved … but no Easter present for me … or was there?

Here’s the thing: We like gifts and look for any excuse to get them, but we already have a great gift at Easter. You see, at Christmas God hands us a present all wrapped up – it’s beautiful, it’s hopeful, our eyes are attracted to it. At Easter we get to open up the present. Christ comes out of the wrapping, having died for our sins, and then come alive. He’s our present. Take Him by faith and He is yours, and you are His forever more. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What did you give or get this Easter? Leave your comments below. 

Hockey Is Like A Drug To Me

The title of this post is not completely accurate – really it is the Toronto Maple Leafs that are like a drug to me … and not necessarily in a good way. 

To make this analogy work, hockey would be the needle and the Leafs would be the drug.

It seems like every year, come playoff time, I inject myself with this drug and I overdose. 

I’m not talking about watching too much of the Leafs, or watching too much hockey in general.  I’m talking about OD’ing with my emotions. 

You see, a drug is supposed to give you some euphoric feeling – like everything is groovy, everything feels more real, and you can be like superman. And I’m sure you’ve heard all the other descriptions of how some drugs manifest in an addict. 

I do call myself an addict here because I can’t seem to stop taking the drug. 

And like a true addict, I don’t admit that I have a problem at all, even when the symptoms are pointed out to me.

But the day of the game, I’m a little agitated. I can’t tell you why – maybe I got up on the wrong side of the bed; maybe I didn’t get enough sleep the night before.

Maybe it’s just that the Leafs are playing Boston tonight in game 4 of the playoffs … and the drug is flowing through my veins, rapidly making its way through my corpuscles to my heart. 

I know this because, by the time dinner rolls around, I’m not just a little hangry because I need food. There is way more going on than that.

I’m nervous like a junky who’s late for his fix. I can’t really sit still, so I pace between rooms, semi-listening to Lily tell me what has happened during her day, and trying to pick up on the predictions and analysis of the pregame show on TV.

I’m like a caged lion on the prowl … and it’s uncontrollable. 

When the game starts, I’m all tense. It’s like I have a rubber band around my arm and my veins are starting to pop for my injection.

And that is when I overdose. 

I never hit that high where everything is going to be all right. I never get that sense of sailing on silver clouds. … Maybe you get that reference, but it doesn’t matter. You know that this is a bad trip I’m on. 

And it lasts about two and a half hours. 

Well, that is not exactly true. If the Leafs lose, I go into a downer and then you might as well not talk to me, talk around me, or make comments, funny or otherwise. 

I’ve bottomed out.  

If the Leafs win, well it’s not like it was a great trip I was on. It’s just a relief that it’s over and I’m happy I’m still alive or that the Leafs are still alive in the playoffs. 

At any rate, I’m left feeling alone in my addiction. No one in my family really understands.

Here’s the thing: Two thousand years ago, Jesus was feeling much like I do. But His passion was for us – a love for everyone that He had in abundance – so much so that He endured all kinds of emotional and physical angst and pain. No one understood. He went through those agonizing hours to pay for the sins of the world – your sin, my sin – not just for a win, but for eternity. Christ died on the cross for you. Think on that this Easter.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What has you all tied up but you can’t give up? Leave your comments below.

The Masters Left Me With a Different Feeling

Yesterday I had a different take on the Masters than most people did. 

I love to play golf and I’m also one of those people who likes watching it on TV.

For golfers, the Masters is a must watch event. It is one of the premier golfing events of the year.

But this year I had a different feeling than most people did watching the tourney.

Tiger Woods was making a charge; he was on a comeback. He hadn’t won the Masters since 2005 and he hadn’t won a major tournament in 11 years.

He’s had operations to fix chronic back problems, swing issues that has seen him completely change his swing, and emotional issues to overcome due to a marriage scandal which captivated public interest, coincidently 11 years ago.

Some thought that with all his issues, Tiger might not play golf again – at least at a level that would see him compete on the leader board.

Well, that is all in the past now. 

Tiger Woods played phenomenally this past weekend and his body, his swing, his mental toughness never looked better. 

Tiger is back.  

He certainly is one of the greatest – if not the greatest – golfer who has ever played the game. 

What I found disturbing yesterday, as I watched this amazing comeback and rise to the top for Tiger, was what seemed to be the worship of him. 

And it seemed consistent from the TV announcers to his fellow golfers to the crowds that paid homage with their cheers and praise. 

You can not take his golf ability away from Tiger. He truly is a marvellous golfer, but we shouldn’t be hailing him as the second coming of Christ! 

Ironically, Tiger’s win, and all the worship of him, came on Palm Sunday – the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, to the cheers and shouts of “hosanna” by the people who lined his path into the city.

Tiger made a triumphant walk from the green to the club house, his family in tow … well, at least for part of the walk. He left them all in the dust behind him as he gloried in his own greatness to the fans shouting his name and reaching out to touch a piece of him.

The announcers couldn’t say enough of his achievements and how truly miraculous this achievement was fighting back from adversity to reach this pinnacle. 

But I wondered how his ex-wife felt, not about how he played or that he won, but about how everyone worshipped this man.

As he stood on the green with his arms raised in victory to the thunderous applause, I wondered if Elin felt that all he had done to shame her and break up their family had been forgotten, been forgiven.

It was like that never happened. 

Like taking a brush to a chalkboard, this victory wiped out any memory people had of the life he has lived off the course. 

It is alright to celebrate a victory, but let’s keep in mind the character of a man who actually missed the cut.

Here’s the thing: Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to the shouts and cheers of “hosanna in the highest” … but it didn’t go to his head. Instead he shook off the adoring fans and went to the cross to die for YOU. Now that’s character.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Is your character something to be copied or something to be hidden? Leave your comments below.

It’s Confirmed: I’m Old

It was confirmed: I am an old man.

In my last post, I wrote about a decision I made, against my better judgement, to play in a hockey tourney. (You can read about it here.)

For this tournament we were guaranteed three games and, to be honest, I thought that’s all we’d play. But that was not how it turned out. 

We won our first game quite handily and I felt pretty good. My knee felt good, I wasn’t tired, and I was ready for game two. … Maybe I am younger than what my birth certificate says.

In game two we really took it to the other team and scored a ton of goals. Our team was on a roll, and I was still surprised at how good I felt.

I needed to reassess my day. 

I had thought we would be playing only three games, but it was looking like we could possibly play four. Then, if we got to the finals of the tournament, we would play five. 

My initial predictions were proved completely wrong when we won our third game. And in those first three games, the other team barely got the puck in our end. 

Our goalie, who played well, had long periods where he didn’t see any action, which makes it tough to stay sharp and focussed.

With three wins, we were going to the semi-finals and then possibly on to the finals. 

For the first three games we had an hour to an hour and a half break between games. But for our fourth, semi-final game we only had a half hour break.

As we got ready, we heard that the team we were going to play was dirty and mouthy. … We heard right! 

Some of our young guys got hit with cheap shots that weren’t called by the ref. Our bench exploded in comments to the other team and the ref.

Then there were two guys on the other team who were masters at getting under our skin. They were non-stop with their chirps and it payed off for their team.

We took more and more penalties. We got more and more frustrated.

And then it was confirmed. One of their two mouth pieces turned to me and said, “You’re all washed up, old man.” 

I knew he meant to make me angry, to get me all upset, but I was actually feeling what he was saying. I didn’t have any zip left in me. I wasn’t dragging, but I didn’t have tons of energy either. 

Their other mega mouth started in on me too, saying, “Number 7, you are useless.” … I think he also added a few choice words that I don’t feel right repeating, but you get the idea.  

By game four, I was that 62 year old guy who is turning 63. I was the old man who was washed up.

It was an enlightening moment. 

But then I thought, “I’m still playing against a bunch of 20 and 30 year olds, and I can still skate with them.” … Not bad for an old washed up guy!

Here’s the thing: We get chirped all the time. Sometimes the things others say can be hurtful. Sometimes it’s our own rotten self-talk that hurts. It doesn’t even have to be true to impact us negatively. Capture every thought and word that you speak or is spoken to you, and take it to God. Let Him tell you what He thinks of you.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Who or what words have you allowed to put you down? Leave your comments below.

I Knew I Was Making A Bad Decision

Sometimes you know when you are making a bad decision, but you make it anyway.

I’m not sure why we do it. Maybe it’s because our desire or want or hope is greater than our reasoning at the time.

We do it frequently though, even if it’s just that extra dessert, or extra helping of potatoes that ends up sitting in our gut like a rock for the rest of the day.

There are times we are pressured into making a decision we don’t think is the best. We just can’t keep saying no, so we cave in.

But I think the worst is when we make a decision that goes against our better judgement with no pressure and lots of time to rationally think it through.

I did that a few weeks ago. 

One of the guys I play hockey with on Saturday mornings entered a team in a tournament … and I said yes to playing.

I knew that saying yes meant playing more hockey in one day than would be good for me.

I also was unsure how my knee would hold up playing all day long. I have a torn ACL that I wear a custom brace for. But as I have gotten older, I have found that my knee is not as strong as it was twenty years ago.

As a result, now I will not play hockey two days in a row, just to give my knee a rest. 

A tournament would tax it for sure. 

I discovered that we were guaranteed three games in this tournament and yet I still said yes. Even when I gave the organizer my money for the tourney, I said to him, “This goes against my better judgement.” 

What was I thinking?

I know what I wasn’t thinking. I wasn’t thinking that I’m almost 63 years of age, and no longer have boundless, unlimited energy. 

I wasn’t thinking that I had a heart attack seven years ago and that hockey is not the greatest sport for the heart. 

The idea of playing hockey all day still resonated with my emotions, but my body and mind were screaming, “Who are you kidding, Paul?!”

I got myself so into the idea that when I heard we were going to have three full lines I was disappointed – disappointed because that would mean I wouldn’t get that much ice time. 

What was I thinking? Playing three games in one day, I’ll get all the ice time I need and then some. I will be so hockey-d out after three games that I will want to take a break from the ice for a couple of weeks.

The decision to play in this tournament was purely based in some recesses of my 25 year old psyche, that grabbed control of my 62 year old mind and wrestled it into a tap out hold that I couldn’t say no to.

At any rate, I was in and the tourney is just about to get underway. What have I done?(read about it here)

Here’s the thing: Sometimes we get pressured, played or simply convinced to do something that God would not approve of. Sometimes we just have a desire or want that leads us where we should not go. But sometimes we just walk head on into sin – no excuse, no one or thing to blame. We just make a bad decision. God can forgive those sins too. Don’t think you can’t go to Him and repent.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What have you done lately that you have no excuse for? Leave your comments below. 

My Tech Company’s Got Me Frustrated

I’m pretty frustrated with tech companies right now. In the past two week I’ve had more than my share of dealing with them.

These companies that provide internet, television and cell phones are gouging people. And they’ve reversed the commitment to the customer. The customer must commit to them.

This week I had a phone conversation with our television and internet provider. It seems they hiked our rates by $79 a month … in the middle of our commitment! 

Somehow they are able to force us to commit to staying with them for two years, or pay large penalties. But they don’t seem to have that same kind of commitment to us.

Over the first year we had rate increases about every three months – little ones, like seven dollars here, four dollars there. 

By the end of the first year we were paying $28 more a month than what we had agreed to at the start of the contract. 

Then, when our first year was up, they took away all the credits we had been getting during that year, which added another $79 per month to our bill.

The customer service woman I spoke with was sympathetic because she said that, at the end of the day, she was a consumer as well … but she wouldn’t give me back my credits. 

Instead, because I complained, she found a way to adjust our service to give me some credits back and then threw in a few TV stations for free that I probably won’t ever watch. 

That’s why they are free – no one is watching them! 

She was able to cut my bill but I’m still going to be paying significantly more than I was a month ago, and massively more than when I started with them.

What bothers me is that in other countries they don’t have the same kind of issues with tech companies. 

My wife, Lily, is in Lisbon, Portugal right now. In her hotel room was a cell phone that she could take and use anywhere in the city while she stayed at that hotel. 

She could call anywhere in the world – we’ve talked on that phone a few times. And she has unlimited data on it! 

It is mind boggling. 

A cell phone in Canada with 5 gigs of data is over $100 per month. Does it cost that much in Canada to do business? 

When it comes to technology, Canada ranks number #2 in the world at generating internet traffic use per capita. Maybe these companies realize they’re in high demand so they are soaking us because we will pay anything for this precious technology we are so hooked on. 

I know one thing and that is the next time I negotiate a contract with one of these tech companies, I’m going to make some demands. 

… Like if they raise their rates past a certain amount, I will be free to take my business to another company at no penalty to me. 

Here’s the thing: This is how Satan works … He presents something that looks pretty appetizing. Then once he has you signed up for it, he can change the terms and show his true colours. The crazy thing is we fall for it all the time – just like we do with tech stuff. The key is to recognize God’s plan for you and stick with it. It may be tough at times, but the terms don’t change and the future is guaranteed. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What has got you looking for a way out? Leave your comments below.

Is It Possible To Be Too Involved in Something?

I got myself way too involved and didn’t realize it until I was deep into it.

The other day we changed our phone and internet service at work. 

We had been with the same internet company for 23 years but they couldn’t offer us any faster service than we were getting even though it was no longer adequate.

I still wouldn’t have made the change but the price point was almost the same for 10 times faster internet.

Even then I was still sceptical that the new company could give us increased service, knowing that the phone wires in our building were ancient.

I was assured by the salesman that it would be a very simple change over … no trouble; it would be seamless; I wouldn’t notice a thing.

Salesmen are all about the sale. They will tell you what you want to hear. I, on the other hand, knew our building and didn’t think for a moment that it would be seamless. 

But I was curious.

When the installer came, he realized about five minutes after he arrived that this was not going to be a simple change over. 

In fact, just getting a new cable to our building took all morning. Then there was all the inside work.

The installer had help in the morning, but in the afternoon he was on his own. 

He asked me if I wanted to see where things were going to go down in the basement and I said, “Sure.”

Costly reply.

In the process of showing me where things were going, he also got me to hold something … then pass him something else and help him follow a wire.

I then located a hole in the ceiling where he could feed a cable up through to the main floor of the building – a significant deal because we have reinforced concrete floors and he would have otherwise had to drill through it to get the wire up.

But by this time, my sermon writing had been abandoned and I was helping him trouble shoot some of the other things that needed to be negotiated.

It was like offering to help someone move who tells you he just has a small apartment and that one truckload will do it. But when you show up, nothing is packed in boxes and there is no truck. You are left lugging carloads of items piled throughout you car and trunk. 

… And the one trip it was going to take ends up being four or five trips back and forth. 

We’ve all been there.  

This time I got roped in by just wanting to see where the installer was going to put things … and, from that point on, he had a lackey he could count on. 

The seamless change, that I would barely even notice, cost me my sermon writing time, and an afternoon of being an assistant. 

The work that had been scheduled for 8:00 am – 12:00 pm, ended up being from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm, with me deeply involved in it. 

But you know what? The new internet speed is amazing!

Here’s the thing: Like anything in life, your relationship with Christ will take you deeper than you realized or thought it would at the start. Are you able to say “yes” to going deeper with Christ than you thought you would or could? Christ will always call you to deeper levels of relationship. Don’t ever settle or try to minimize the work you will be called to do. It will all be worth it.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What in your life has taken you deeper than you thought it would? Leave your comments below.

Everybody Wants Me To Be More Intentional

I have to be more intentional this year when it comes to flying my drone.

The other day I took my drone out for the first time in about two months. It’s not easy to fly it in the winter in Canada. You have to wait for the perfect day – a day that is not too cold and with not too much wind. 

Even then, standing almost still outside in winter for about 30 minutes starts to turn one into a human popsicle.

The other day the temperature was above zero and I had a little time. So I charged all my batteries and got all my gear together. 

Lily was willing to go with me, so we made a plan.

With new regulations for drones coming into effect shortly, it’s not as simple as going over to the nearby park or high school to send the thing up in the air. You have to know where you can fly your drone and the areas that are restricted.

I found a website that shows all the restricted areas in Canada. Granted all that is marked on this site are areas around airports and prisons … which covers much of Kingston.

I had to look outside the city until I found a great spot – just north is one of the locks on the Rideau Canal.

I thought it would be perfect. No one would be around. I would get to fly my drone and capture video of water rushing down over the rapids, possibly disappearing under the ice.

So with everything ready, we hopped in the car and drove about twenty minutes to the spot. 

As we approached, there were a lot of vehicles in the parking lot even though it was a Saturday, the lake was still covered in ice and the ground was frosty. 

I quickly realized that all the activity at the locks was by workmen. They are making repairs and doing it before the water starts flowing and boats want to make their way up the river system.

There were fences everywhere; the property was virtually off limits. 

… Even my plans and efforts to fly my drone were thwarted.

We got back in the car and looked on a map for another spot. 

There was a place I wanted to film – it’s an on-ramp to the 401 that they literally cut out of the rock. It looks really cool. But when we went to the spot, Lily thought it was too risky for me to fly there. 

I wanted to stand near the edge of a cliff above the ramp so I could see what I was doing but she didn’t like the idea of me being so close to the edge.

So we started randomly looking for a spot on the map. We ended up going to a place that will be the site of a new subdivision north of the city.  

It sure wasn’t the landscape I was hoping to film. 

This year flying my drone is not going to be random, but much more planned and intentional. 

Here’s the thing: How intentional are you in growing your relationship with God? Do you ask Him what He wants you to work on with Him? Or do you randomly attempt to work on some problem in your life that happens to pop up? Be intentional. If you ask the Lord, He will show you what you should be working on. The good thing is He works with you on it so you’re not on your own.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is the number one area of your life you need to work on right now? Leave your comments below.

A Near Perfect Installation

It was almost a perfect installation … except for the leak.

We have been having issues with our laundry room taps for some time. But for me, they are out of the way and rarely used, so I didn’t see it as a priority to deal with.

Recently, however, Lily put a bucket under the faucet and I couldn’t believe how fast the water filled the bucket even with the taps turned off. 

I knew we needed to do something, but the taps were over 20 years old and I’m not a plumber. 

My wife, Lily, found a really nice utility sink cabinet combo that also included a set of taps. So I threw caution to the wind and decided to try to install that bad boy.

One thing really surprised me about the old dripping taps was that when we would turn the taps on, it always seemed like the water was coming from some far away place, like the street or Lake Ontario. 

You would turn the taps on and then wait. You would hear the sound of something in the distance coming from the taps and it would get louder and louder before the water showed up at the spout. 

By then you had turned the taps to full, so the water came out like a rocket. 

“If the water is so far away,” I wondered, “how could the leaky tap now fill a bucket so fast?”

That’s a mystery – like who shot JFK – that will never be solved. I just have to let it go. 

The install of the new sink unit went pretty well. Lily helped with the measuring and I cut pipes to fit. 

I did not get one cut straight. I’m not sure how the pros do it. Maybe I got excited near the end of each cut and pressed harder, which in turn turned the blade of the saw just a little.

I was concerned about it, but all the pieces fit together. I was sure happy when it was done.

I put a bucket in the sink to test the taps and they worked like a dream. I wasn’t going to let any water go down the drain until the glue had dried so I waited 24 hours before testing it all out. 

The water came out beautifully and immediately. This time there was no going for a coffee before the water appeared.  

I opened the cabinet up and looked at all the drain work we had done. I thought everything was good. 

But then I saw a bead of water start to drip. And as the taps ran, it dripped more until there was a little puddle of water on the base of the new cabinet.

I knew right then that I would never become a plumber. 

The question was, “What went wrong?” Was it my crooked cuts? Was it the fact that the drain wasn’t 100% straight up and down? 

… Maybe a combination of both.  

All I know is that most of my attention was on what’s under the sink and not what everyone sees.

Here’s the thing: We all like to look good on the outside, and we spend a lot of time and effort creating and maintaining a public image. But before your public image has any credibility, what’s on the inside needs to be made right. Make sure you spend more time with God getting your inner life right than you do trying to make your public image look good. Your inner life will drive what people see. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What part of your inner life do you need to spend time on? Leave your comments below.

The Best Fans Are Die Hard Fans

A true fan is a die hard fan … that means they will cheer for their team no matter what happens.

In my last post, I mentioned that I would be writing two blogs about fans. You can check out the first post here. I wrote about how sneaky fans can be. They just show up and sometimes you have no idea who they are until they bring out their jerseys.

This post – like my last one – focusses on the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’s my team, what can I say.

They have fans everywhere. In every city and arena they play, you will find people cheering for the Leafs.

… And they will keep cheering. They will show up every time and they will take the abuse that other fans dish out. 

Leaf fans are die hard fans. 

The other night the Leafs were in Ottawa for a game, and the “Go Leafs Go” chant was definitely louder than the “Go Sens Go” chant.

The game was all Ottawa, which was surprising because Toronto is tied for the fourth best team in the NHL right now, and Ottawa is dead last. Yet the game looked like Toronto was headed to the first overall draft pick lottery instead of the Senators.

As a team, the Leafs know how to disappoint their fans like no other team. When you haven’t won a championship in over 50 years, you know there has been much disappointment. 

The jokes about the Leafs have circled for years: “Why are the Leafs the best golfers? Because they are finished playing hockey in April”; “It’s spring time – the Leafs will be falling”.  

I’ve heard these jokes over and over. And every time they lose, it just adds to the fan abuse we Leaf fans endure.

They have laws against physical abuse, verbal abuse, elder abuse … they need a whole new category for Leaf fan abuse. 

No other team has taken it on the chin like Leaf fans.

The other night when they played so horribly, I had a hard time watching. I had a few other things I needed to do, so I chose to do them in another room from where the TV was. 

I could hear when they were being scored on and I listened as the announcers commented on their horrible defence. 

But I just couldn’t get myself to watch it. 

Maybe that makes me a bad fan. But I’ll be tuning in to the next game with high hopes that this past week was caused by nothing more than team flu-like symptoms and that they are all better now. 

The thing is, all the disappointments, all the mockery that is heaped on Leaf fans doesn’t deter them from cheering for their team.

You see, there is this undeniable hope, this deep-seated belief that one day we will be proved Stanley Cup champions again. 

And no amount of hardship will dissuade these fans or deny them of the joy that is to come. 

Here’s the thing: This life brings with it, at times, much disappointment and hardship. There are dissenters everywhere, all around you. Yet, as a Christian, you believe in the return of Christ, and that one day the joy of being united with Him and all those who claim to be His will be uncontainable. Die hard fans never give up on their team and Christians never give up on their Saviour – no matter what the circumstances or conditions they find themselves in. Cheer on!

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What conditions make it hard for you to cheer on? Leave your comments below.