I had a disappointment this week. It wasn’t anything big. It was quite minor really, but disappointment is still disappointment. I am always amazed that even at age 71, I can still feel disappointed and discouraged when life doesn’t go quite as I hoped or expected.
I shared with my daughter my disappointment and she very compassionately responded with one line of advice:
Be the goldfish.
Okay. What does that mean?!?!?
Then she reminded me: Ted Lasso.
If you haven’t watched this series on Apple TV+, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Yes, it is worth subscribing to Apple TV+ if only for this one series.
Ted Lasso is an American football coach who is hired to come to England and be the coach of a soccer—or as it is called in Britain—football—team. Lasso is one of the most delightful and endearing characters to appear on television in the last decade.
In one of the episodes, one of the players makes a bad mistake that costs the team a goal; the player comes over to apologize to the coach.
Ted asks him, “What’s the happiest animal in the world?”
The player hasn’t a clue.
Lasso replies, “Goldfish. You know why the goldfish is the happiest animal on earth?
Again, the player is totally puzzled.
“Got a 10 second memory,” replies Lasso.
A ten second memory.
He sends the player back into the game with this piece of advice:
“Be the goldfish.”
Isn’t that what we all need when it comes to disappointments over the truly small things? Grieve that little disappointment for ten seconds and then move on.
Be the goldfish.
Yes, be the goldfish.
I’ve watched Ted Lasso twice. And would watch it once a week until Season 2 comes out. I’ve got more the memory of an elephant than a goldfish, but good advice 😁
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