In 1985 and beyond, I was a huge Vision Quest fan.  I guess in a way 40phor is like my vision quest.  Anyway, yesterday my 15 year old daughter had one of the most exhilarating sports accomplishments.  Scoring the “golden goal” in overtime to advance to the championship.  It reminded me of the scene from Vision Quest when the cook, Elmo, is talking about Pele.

Elmo:  I was in the room here one day… watchin’ the Mexican channel on TV. I don’t know nothin’ about Pele. I’m watchin’ what this guy can do with a ball and his feet. Next thing I know, he jumps in the air and flips into a somersault and kicks the ball in – upside down and backwards… Everybody’s screaming in Spanish. I’m here, sitting alone in my room, and I start crying.  That’s right, I start crying. Because another human being, a species that I happen to belong to, could kick a ball, and lift himself, and the rest of us sad-assed human beings, up to a better place to be, if only for a minute… let me tell ya, kid – it was pretty goddamned glorious.

Lifted up indeed!  It lifted up this sad-assed human being. Lifted up by a 15 year old that I had the opportunity to create and the good fortune to help mold.  Tears to my eyes might be an understatement.