All's Fair in Love and War...Until Someone Scratches

Everybody loves a little competition.

It's March...for many guys it's more than just the Ides of March, it's March Madness. Time for team selections, bracket drawings and wagers over which college is gonna take it all the way...will it be Kansas or UConn...Kentucky or Duke....and it goes on and on. The heat is on to pick THE team, to have the perfect bracket and bragging rights for a year. I can't decide what's worse, March Madness or the madness over Fantasy teams; seriously guys, your teams are fake.

While I poke fun at my husband and my brother in law and all those others that partake in the craziness of ESPN-land, I can't deny the fact that I, too, am just as competitive. I think I've had that competitive drive since birth. I competed with my sister when I was in the fourth grade and she was a junior in high school and it was over a prom dress. I actually cried at the fact that I couldn't have one and she could. I competed about everything - my grades, how many books I could read, how many points I could score, just about everything. I started playing sports in the fifth grade and my competitiveness only grew; but I enjoyed my athletic years, from volleyball to basketball to softball, I did it all. Except for track. There was something about running in circles that didn't do much for me; that, and I couldn't see myself jumping over anything mid-run; it was an accident waiting to happen. Once I was in college I accepted the fact that there were athletes MUCH better than me. I wasn't going to play college volleyball for Florida State or be the starting point guard at the University of Conneticut. It was a fact I couldn't deny. So, when life gives you lemons, make a margarita and enjoy! I played club volleyball at the Lake, and that was about it. It wasn't until I met Johnny that my REAL competitive drive came out.

Johnny has been playing pool since he was nine. It was something he did with his dad and continued on with his brother. It runs in the family, from his uncles to his cousins, it's a family thing. To make a long story short, playing pool is a way of life, for the most part. Our first date was to Fast Eddies pool hall. I remember getting there and thinking to myself, "Oh how fun. He'll probably let me win and be cute about it." Yeah, not so much. I'd be nice about it, but then who am I kidding, he kicked my ass all night long. I remember telling him, "You know, you could let me win a time or two." He said, "My dad always said never to LET anyone win. A win is earned." Fine. Two can play that game. I'd explain my point, but that's a little too personal for my blog. ;)

Needless to say I've come a long way since then. Johnny joined a league shortly after we started dating and continues to play; it's become a family thing and I can pretty much hold my own. We have a table at home and our girls understand that it's something we do; Mary Frances has even started to pick up a stick and play with her daddy. I won't deny the fact that I enjoy playing the game myself. Tuesday nights is our night to play. When I can make it out there to play, I go to win. Talk about competition! Bottom line is, I don't like to lose. Johnny has taught me the skill of being a good loser, whatever that means, but I try and suck it up and say "Good game." It's a little more difficult to say when it wasn't a good game. Tonight I went to play and I was in an especially grouchy mood. My game of nine ball wasn't what I wanted it to be. I missed a couple of straight in shots and scratched on my last attempt to win. What the hell!!! When I was done playing, I swallowed my pride, put my big ass tail between my legs, walked over to my opponent, put my hand out and said, (gulp) "Good game". Ugh. I hate that part of a losing night AND I still had a round of eight ball to play. I ended up playing the same person and truly kicked some ass. I felt people watching our match, whispering over some shot I made and then realizing I was Johnny Garcia's wife, then I could hear the "Ohhh's". I tease him all the time about that, but it's true. But oh how easy it is to walk with my head held high and wait for my opponent's "good game". What I sometimes forget is that it may be just as hard for them to do the same.

We all have a competitive drive; sometimes over the most trivial things like, who can be first in line at Best Buy the day after Thanksgiving; or who gets the closest parking space at UTSA; or how about being the first person to report that Tiger Woods was a dumb ass; or the won who wins the girl; let's not forget about being the one at the highest level in Farmville; or, in the case of my two roommates that summer, the one who could eat the most tacos on Taco Sunday at Taco Bell! Competition is healthy, it brings out the better part of us...sometimes. It's also a tough reminder that there is always someone else out there who is just a little better than we are at something. We can't always win and we can't always be in first place. I know I won't win EVERY Tuesday, but I can try. That's all any of us can do, is try. But I do love Johnny's joke, "What do you call the student who finishes last in medical school?....You call him Doctor!" He didn't finish first but he's still a doctor!

Till next time...