Murphy’s Law and how it applies to me…

 

Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup and I missed it!

 

Sorta…

 

Murphy’s Law says, "Murphy's law or the fourth law of thermodynamics" (actually there were only three last I heard) which states: "If anything can go wrong, it will."^[

 

^{I am a die-hard hockey mom of two boys.  Hockey can rule our household as any hockey mom (or dad) knows.  Practices, extra skates, travel games, expenses to say the least. You hockey people know what I am talking about all too well.}

^{Last November I wrote a little post about how emotional it can be.  You can see it here.}

 

^{So of course we have been following the awesome Chicago Blackhawks this season in their quest for the Cup.  I watched every game (well almost) and the playoffs were incredible!}

 

^{Fast forward to Monday night, June 24th, 2013…hot, humid, still, crazy dark clouds coming from the west. If the Hawks win this one, they win IT ALL!  My older son had practice at 6:50pm.  Game Six started at 7:30…not a problem.  I knew the game would be on at the rink and I could watch some of it there and get home for the end.}

 

^{Just as we are about to load up the van and leave, a huge storm blows through and freakin’ knocks out my power!!!!}

 

 

^{I’m still ok…figure it will be on by the time the game ends and all will be well.}

 

^{It wasn’t.  Quickly I thought of all the places we could go to watch the game--friends’ houses, sports bars, restaurants…Chicago was crazed with hockey fever.  But my youngest had fallen asleep and I couldn’t justify waking him up to go to a crowded place full of crazed fans.}

^{So my husband and I sat in the dark and put on the emergency radio and listened to the game. (Kinda romantic, right?)  Definitely not the same as watching on a large screen HD TV, but at least we could hear the incredible last 2 minutes of that game.  Afterwards, fireworks could be heard everywhere and I could only imagine how awesome it was to actually see those boys hold up the Stanley Cup and skate around the ice.}

 

^{The kicker in this story is that the houses that were just across the street had power!  Uggggggh!}

 

^{Murphy’s Law…}

 

^{In early September of 1993, my all-time favorite rocker, Bruce Springsteen, was coming to Chicago to perform.  I had worked at the venue where he was performing all summer long as a beer seller and it was the best job ever!  I got to see all the bands warm up and do their sound checks before an empty auditorium with (hardly) any one else around.}

^{My boyfriend at the time was from New Jersey and I wanted to impress him so I got tickets for the Springsteen concert and figured we could hang out before in the auditorium since I was still able to arrive early before the crowds.  We were back at school at the time, in Chicago, about an hour from the venue.}

^{I had a long day of classes before we could leave.}

^{I got in the elevator in my dorm with about 12 other people.  It was hot, humid and sticky.}

^{About half way up to my 13th floor dorm room, the elevator stopped.  Broke. Not moving.}

^{I was stuck in an elevator with a capacity of 15 with twelve other people!  For a couple of hours!  Breathing in each other’s air and feeling woozy from the heat.}

^{And we missed the concert!!!!  Ugggggggh!!!!}

 

^{Here’s another example…}

 

^{In 2005, my sweet sister asked me to be in the OR while she delivered her first born child.  What an honor!  I was all ready to be her support, camera ready to take that first precious picture….}

 

^{Guess what?  I had kept turning on and off the camera all morning taking “before” pictures that when it was time for the baby to arrive, my camera was dead!  No battery life!  No time to say, “Hey, wait a second, push that baby back in while I go and get new batteries.”   Uggggggggh!!!!}

 

^{There are plenty of other ways Murphy’s Law applies to me, as it does to everyone, but I will not bore you with more details.} 

 

^{Just know that it will all work out in the end!}

 

^{For instance, that boyfriend I wanted to impress so much from New Jersey?  Well, I ended up marrying him and he is the best husband and father I could ever imagine.}

 

^{And about 15+ years later, we ended up with Floor Seating for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s “Born To Run” re-tour.  If you had General Admission seating like we did, they handed out numbers before the concert and randomly picked the number to start with.  By sheer luck and a lot of Grace, we ended up second row from the stage.  That concert was seriously one of the highlights of my life.  I was thisclose to Clarence Clemons, Bruce and the band.  An old grade school friend even wrote me on Facebook and told me he saw me on the JumboTron during “Hungry Heart.”  (Which isn’t on the “Born to Run” album, I know.)}

 

 

 

 

^{As for the birth of my niece, by some more sheer luck and a lot of Grace, my camera turned on for one picture…}

 

 

      Can’t get any better than that first moment!

 

So I know I have to be patient and things will work out.

I’m taking the boys to the victory parade in Chicago tomorrow and who knows, perhaps by sheer luck and a lot of Grace, we will get thisclose to the Cup and those fantastic hockey players that made it happen.

 

If not, I am very content to be one of the millions cheering and being part of the incredible energy that is sure to be.

 

Way to go, Blackhawks!  Congratulations on an amazing season!

 

Love,

Me