Most people are entering the busiest, most demanding, most hectic time of their year — the fourth quarter, October, November and December. School has started and families are involved in numerous school activities plus being in the middle of football season, and we aren’t even to the holidays.
The football season is extremely important to Southerners, who know how to handle whatever kind of season they have. My sainted Papa had an assortment of mini-sermons that he used, adapting the sermon to the season. If it was a national championship year, the sermon was about how to win graciously.
If the team was not doing well, Papa would consider it as “learning seasons” and the sermons would be about how to behave under these conditions. The current season would have been a ”learning season” for Papa. His talks would cover such things as “winning isn’t everything, do the best that you can, never give up, learn to lose graciously, be loyal regardless,” and his favorite “maybe next year”.
In years past, before Auburn had a college powerhouse football team, there were seasons when the Auburn University family loyals would march out to the stadium and cheer loudly for their team. The cry was “War Eagle;” the translation was “maybe next year.”
Legendary coach Ralph Jordan was known for the excessive praise he heaped on the band during that period. A goodly amount of his radio review program was taken up by his praise for the band. Apparently at a loss to find much to praise in his players, he found something in the band.
The point of all this is that it is important to keep football in perspective and enjoy any part of it that you can. This is not to say that the remainder of the current season will be a learning experience, but if it is, remember Papa
There is much more to this quarter than football. In this busy holiday season, try to pace yourself. Compare your personal situation to that of the distance runner.
Halloween is this month and has become such an expensive celebration that it will be to your benefit to do some pre-planning here. Consider the costumes, decorations and the candy giveaways to the tricksters.
The Christian Science Monitor expects these expenses to increase about $8 this year to total $74 per individual, which is entirely too much for the average budget.
Writer J. E. Faced writes extensively about Halloween being the second leading cause of the epidemic of flu in children and adults and blames excess sugar consumed during that time as part of the reason. Regardless of whether you subscribe to this theory, there is no denying the fact that too much sugar is consumed during this time.
Save big on your candy give-aways. Check the dollar, discount, and warehouse stores for bulk candies or cookies or any other treats. Repackage. Put one or two items in a small plastic sandwich bag and make a bulk purchase go a long way.
Check last year’s costume. Why can’t you wear that? Drape a sheet around you and use it as a toga or go as a ghost. Wear short skirts and fishnet hose and go as a flapper. Clothing owned by older members of the family may give you ideas as will clothing found in a thrift store. Use the pumpkin as decoration and then make pies.
On an old prom or bridesmaid dress, stretch a ribbon that reads “Miss Opelika.” Add a flower lei to a pair of gaily colored swim trunks and go as a surfer. Check athletic uniforms or out-grown items. Use duct tape, which is now available in colors.
Use your imagination and save that $74 because we haven’t even mentioned Thanksgiving and Christmas yet.
Pace yourself and enjoy yourself.
Bita Bullet is the pen name of a local anonymous writer who can be reached at opelikaobserver@att.net This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
