I am a sucker
for the underdog. The kid or the adult who has it all stacked against him or
her, who doesn’t seem to have a chance to win or succeed, no matter however you
define it. Except for, perhaps, his or her own belief in him or herself. Sometimes
that belief is all that is needed.
It seems like
when I . . . we . . . come across such a story, we cheer at the end when it
turns out “just the way it should.” And I think you all know what I mean by
that.
When I was
working on Stolen Lives, the first book in my trilogy, I had thought about
killing off one of my favorite characters. He was a hero. He saved his friends
and took a bullet doing so. Conventional wisdom is to “kill off your darlings”
as they say, and this character would become most everyone’s favorite according
to many of the reviews after it had been published. As I wrote that chapter
however, I had bounced the idea off my daughter, Emily, and she emphatically
told me not to. I reminded her that life doesn’t always have a Disney version
of “and everyone lived happily ever after.” She leaned forward, pointed a
finger at me and said, “Well, it ought to.”
Well, okay then
. . .
We know of the
Biblical story of David and Goliath. The big brute was chosen to represent his
tribe and when no one stepped forward to fight him, a skinny, scrawny kid with
a slingshot stepped forward to do so. We know how that ended.
One recent Saturday,
I had the TV tuned to the NFL network and there was a profile of Doug Flutie on
at the time. Originally, I had it on as background noise while I worked on
something around the house. But then, I started to pay attention.
Flutie was a
college quarterback who stood five foot nine inches. For a quarterback, that’s
tiny. For a quarterback at a major college or near major college, that’s
Smurf-like, to quote Jim McMahon. A college football game took place between
the Boston College Eagles and the University of Miami Hurricanes on November
23, 1984 that later became known as the Hail Flutie Game.
This was a big
game between the #10 Boston College Eagles and the #12 Miami Hurricanes who
were coached by Jimmy Johnson. Boston College was looked down upon because it
didn’t have the notoriety of Miami. There were several milestones that occurred
in this game. The Hurricanes' Bernie Kosar passed for a school-record 447
yards. Miami running back Melvin Bratton ran for four touchdowns. And tiny Doug
Flutie passed for 472 yards and four touchdowns and became the first collegiate
quarterback ever to surpass 10,000 yards passing in a college career.
But the fireworks
took place towards the end of the game.
In the final
seconds, Dough Flutie threw a Hail Mary to wide receiver Gerard Phelan to give
Boston College the win. At the time, Miami was the defending national champion
and the game was played at the Miami Orange Bowl.
A real David and
Goliath moment.
The world of
sports has many such stories and we celebrate them. Everyday life also gives us
stories as well.
Mother Teresa.
Helen Keller. Eleanor Roosevelt. Gandhi. Rosa Parks.
And we know of
students who have succeeded despite the odds. Two of my former students, Khalid
Maxie and Gabino Baez come to mind. I’ve written about them in the past. Both
overcame considerable odds of poverty, gangs, and broken families to not only
graduate high school, but go on to post-secondary education and beyond. But
there are many others.
Sometimes all
the underdog needs is a word of encouragement. Sometimes, just an opportunity.
Sometimes, the words, “You can do this!” or sometimes, an arm around the
shoulder and the message, “I’ve got your back.” It doesn’t take much effort on
our part, not in comparison to the underdog. It doesn’t extend us much. But the
effects of a word of encouragement, a kind word, our presence lasts longer than
we might. Think of it as one more ripple in a pond forever extending outwards.
Something to think about . . .
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
To My Readers:
I finished my
fifth work of thriller/suspense fiction,
Caught in a Web and I’ll keep you
posted as to when it will be published. While we wait, I am busy having fun
with my sixth, Spiral Into Darkness,
and I’m more than 66,000 words and 264 pages into it.
Please feel free
to connect with me at:
Twitter
at @jrlewisauthor
Facebook
at: https://www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author
If you like Thriller/Suspense fiction, check out my
novels:
Available on Amazon for .99 the Lives Trilogy
Prequel, Taking Lives:
FBI Agent Pete
Kelliher and his partner search for the clues behind the bodies of six boys
left in various and remote parts of the country. Even though they don’t know
one another, the lives of FBI Agent Kelliher and two boys become interwoven
with the same thread that Pete Kelliher holds in his hand. The three of them
are on a collision course and when that happens, their lives are in jeopardy as
each search for a way out. http://bit.ly/Taking-Lives-JLewis
Stolen Lives, Book One of the Lives Trilogy:
Two thirteen
year old boys are abducted off a safe suburban street. Kelliher and his team of
FBI agents have 24 hours to find them or they’ll end up like all the others-
dead! They have no leads, no clues, and nothing to go on. And the possibility
exists that one of his team members might be involved. http://bit.ly/Stolen-Lives-JLewis
Shattered Lives, Book Two of the Lives Trilogy:
A 14 year old
boy stands in the kitchen pointing a gun at his uncle. There are many reasons
for him to pull the trigger. Mainly, he had started it all. http://bit.ly/Shattered-Lives-J-Lewis
Splintered Lives, Book Three of the Lives Trilogy:
A 14 year old boy is willing to make the
ultimate sacrifice. High up on an Arizona mesa, he faces three desperate and
dangerous men in hopes of saving his father and his brothers. http://bit.ly/Splintered-Lives-J-Lewis
1 comment:
Thank you for your comment. I welcome your thought. Joe