Maybe the best defense really is a good offense

We've all met them - the people who move through life with a "best defense is a good offense" approach. And we all know that they are, well, offensive! You never quite know what these folks will come up with, because their goal in life seems to be keeping the rest of us confused or at the very least at a safe distance from them.

So why this topic? Have I decided to become one of the offensive ones? No - definitely not! But I realized recently that the current economic crisis has put me into a defensive mode. Much of my focus has been on battening down the hatches and defending the territory. And that just isn't going to work, plus it's really dark down there, and I need to see! I realized that taking a defensive posture just won't get me anywhere at all.

I was listening to an interview with Terri Norvell yesterday, and she used the phrase "forward focus." And it struck me that this is where we all need to go.

I do like football, I loved playing and watching sports in high school, so I like these offense versus defense metaphors. And although I'm not saying that any good team doesn't need defense, I also realize that the best you can do by focusing on defense is either to tie the game or win by luck. Without a great offense, to really make the score, we're sunk.

This is where our children are our greatest teachers. Their goals are completely forward focused. The baby longs to make things happen - first to control her arms, then to move, then to walk. They want to go to school, they want to run, to ride a bike. As teens, the things they want to do can scare us a bit, but they so want to become adults. Our children don't spend time looking back or worrying about how maybe it wasn't such a good idea to learn to climb out of the crib at only 8 months old. No - our children are 100% focused on moving forward, on scoring points, on winning the game.

I don't know if a great offense is truly a good defense or not, and I certainly don't advocate being offensive as a posture! But I do know that the snow is melting, the sky is blue, the grass is greening up, and today is the first day of the rest of my life, however long that may be. May it be joyous and filled with good things, those things I want for myself, for those I love, and for this magnificent world we live in. I hope that this post brought you a springtime smile and a desire to look forward to today, tomorrow, and the rest of our glorious lives.