“When others know joy, your life will be filled with happiness.” Arthur Dobrin
For my entire life, I have been an entirely apathetic sports fan. As a person who was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, my heart has been broken on numerous occasions by the word “the”… These events include: “the drive,” “the shot,” “the fumble,” which all led to “the curse” that Cleveland was destined never to win a big game.
That all changed on June 19, 2016, when the Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team in history to come back from a 1-3 deficit to win the seven-game championship series. This win was also the first championship for any Cleveland sports team in 52 years. The win wasn’t easy – and even in the last ten seconds of the game, our victory was not guaranteed. At the end of the game, I had to take a moment to process the win – “Wait a minute, the clock says zero and our score is higher. Holy guacamole, we won!”
Why was this win so special? It uplifted my entire city. I’m thankful to live in a city where 100,000 people gathered downtown watching the game celebrate without burning anything down. I’m grateful that 20,000 went to the airport just to welcome home to our team. I’m overjoyed to see 1.3 million people come together for a parade with no adverse incidents. Now THAT’S how you celebrate the victory!
What makes you proud of your home? Take a moment and look for the good in your neighborhood, your city, and your state. You might never care about what your sports teams do – but there’s a reason you live where you live. Celebrate your town today!
Have fun!
Lisa Ryan
PS – Cleveland rocks! Share what’s great about your city.
