The NFL just sent a message

The NFL just sent a message to all female fans. I'm going to give you a rough translation.

"Ladies, we value a pigskin more than we do you and your safety. However, we'll gladly  wear pink in October like we consider you more than just cheerleaders on the sidelines there for our viewing pleasure." Roger Goodell and the NFL.

I won't pretend I'm not pissed about Brady's suspension being upheld. I won't pretend I'm not seething Goodell more than likely sat around with his thumbs in his ears and waited until two days before training camp to break this news when he never intended on lessening the suspension. It is more probable than not the appeal was nothing more than Rog sitting on his throne using Brady as a court jester.

Upholding Brady's suspension at four games - the same punishment Greg Hardy received for assaulting his fiancee - is equivalent to the punishment being the same for jaywalking and DUI. The offenses are miles apart and yet the punishment is the same.

As a female fan of football I'm beyond annoyed. Greg Hardy physically assaulted his girlfriend. He put his hands on her in anger and did bodily harm. Tom Brady is suspected of maybe doing something wrong (wherein there is no proof). Every football player should be pissed off on behalf of their mothers, sisters, wives, girlfriends, cousins, and neighbors.

I Can't Live Without You

I hate memes. Really I do. I suppose it could be because according to one of my friends I am not a romantic. I'd disagree with him. I am a romantic. I just refuse to buy into the entertainment cliches everyone has been swallowing for years. 

In my opinion all of those are a stinky pile of Stella poo. I refuse to date the person who can't live without me. I'd never marry him. 

Let's be honest. We all can live without each other. Our lives will go on if the crush/flavor of the week/spouse/longtime significant other/baby mama isn't in our lives anymore. We are perfectly capable of functioning without them. It may hurt unbearably for a while, but we learn to put ourselves together and carry on. 

There is no one besides Jesus Christ with whom we should believe we can't live without. It's the truth. 

It is my belief relationships fail when we believe we can't live without the other person. Relationships work when we shift our focus from "I can't live without you" to "I don't want to live without you." The difference seems subtle, but it isn't. 

I am not talking Romeo and Juliet death pacts here. I am talking about choosing to honor someone's presence in our lives to the point of sacrifice, opening ourselves up to vulnerability with them, and knowing it will be hard at times. Relationships take on a different identity when instead of despair because things are tough, we hunker down (Orlando hurricane term!) and persevere. The reality is sometimes life would be easier without the other person, but rather than "I can live without you now when five years ago I couldn't" we realize "I can live without, but I don't want to." 

I'm waiting for the guy I want to spend the rest of my life. I've been proving for over a decade I can live without you. It is time to admit I don't want to anymore.