Pressure Cooker

I'm a TCU alum. And for the first time in my generation, TCU went to a BCS bowl this year. The kids on the team were under extraordinary pressure. The last championship for the school was in 1938. Talk about a dry spell.

Last night's game was a very big deal. My facebook page has been smeared in purple and GO FROGS! notes for days. I can't tell you the number of friends who bought tickets to Phoenix for the game.

And the team lost.

Now, a loss in and of itself really isn't a big deal. It's how the team lost that is so much more painful: Andy Dalton, the quarterback, threw three interceptions. His receivers dropped passes in the end zone. Clearly, the pressure was simply too much. And Murphy's Law prevailed once again (when you REALLY need something, you don't get it).

Most of us are able to avoid a colossal TV meltdown. These kids - from 18 to 22 - had their worst fears realized while broadcast to millions. As a mother, I wonder if the pressure placed on these students is simply too much, too soon. In the scheme of their entire lives, how much - really - does one bowl game matter?

Today I hope the team's fellow Frogs are being supportive and remembering just how far these kids had to come, how deeply they had to dig to claw their way to national prominence. That is a victory that will more than likely be overshadowed by a bitter loss. Unfortunately, that's part of life. You win some big ones and you lose many more. The key, I'm beginning to realize, is the journey and the lessons learned from it.

Seize the moment

Laughter, little secrets, a renewed connection - these are just some of the benefits of making time with friends. Last night, I met up with four other women for cocktails. Our cocktail hour ran a little long; five hours later, I was pulling into the driveway. But you know something, that's the way it should be: Losing track of time may be just as important as always being prompt. It means you're having fun, you're connecting.

Girl time is more than just having fun. When we talk and interact with others, we're happier and less stressed. There's even research documenting our girl-friend phenomenon. Yeah, there's always something else we probably should be doing: Kids, husbands, house cleaning, that one last assignment and even laundry take precedence over fun. But it's shared moments like last night - with the fruity drinks and the hours of laughter - I'm going to remember a lot longer than whether my floors were mopped.

Regina Brett of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio once wrote a column titled 45 Lessons Life Taught Me. Here are her top four:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

What will you do for yourself today?