Missed opportunities

Which is worse–to live with unrealized potential or to suffer the pain of missed opportunities? After watching the University of Washington Huskies lose by 1 to the UCLA Bruins this afternoon, I agonized over that question.

When UW defeated USC back in September, the Huskies were blessed with potential. After three football games in the 2009 season, we had won 2. Only four more wins and the Dawgs were bowl-eligible. Now six games later, UW is mired at 3-6 and their pockets are stuffed with unrealized potential. Yes, if the Dawgs win their three remaining games, a bowl is still within reach. But only the staunchest fan would believe the Dawgs will beat OSU, WSU, and Cal. The fat lady may not be singing yet, but she is warming up in the wings. SIGH!

The UCLA game this afternoon was a clinic of missed opportunities. A defensive stop here, a third down conversion there. Make the field goal instead of missing it. Score a touchdown or two instead of kicking three field goals. Don’t throw an interception in the final minute. Kick the field goal in the closing seconds. If UW scored touchdowns instead of field goals, it could have 35-24 on the final drive and the interception would have been moot. If we had only made the one field goal we missed, the score would have been 26-24 on the final drive. If we kept the ball and kicked a field goal in the final seconds, we would have won. If, woulda, coulda, shoulda. SIGH!

I’m not sure which hurts more. Unrealized potential and missed opportunities both sting quite a bit. SIGH!

Sounds like there may be some life lessons here.