Make Every Moment More – Redux

With the return of football and hockey, I started watching sports again, and was immediately inundated with commercials for the myriad of sports betting and casino game sites. Almost a year after writing the initial version of this post, I still don’t understand how betting on games or plays within games will make either mean more. Sports fans watch games for the game no matter how hard these sites want us to believe that we need to place bets to truly enjoy ourselves. For that reason, I decided to re-issue this post from December of last year.

Those of you who watch sports on TV will recognize the title of this post as the tag line of one of the myriad internet gambling sites that have inundated us with commercials and game breaks. Sports on TV has become so saturated that a recent NY Rangers hockey game featured the game with normal announcers on MSG network while another MSG channel broadcast the game with its own network’s gambling show hosts covering the game and pushing every conceivable bet that could be made.

Even watching the standard broadcasts, viewers are barraged with game breaks and odds/lines between each period. For me, the messaging, and the bombardment have made it less fun to watch games – far from the “more” I’m promised if I would just place a bet. As you have probably figured out, I am not a gambler. I’ve been to Vegas over a dozen times and can recall only one instance of trying my luck at a one-armed bandit – it won my dollar. I’ve spent many hours in various sports books up and down the strip to catch games I was interested in, but never caught the bug to put my money on the line over what some athlete or team was doing.

Hearing that tag line over and over the other night, and being in the midst of the holiday season, I got to thinking that “make every moment more” should be about how we live our lives, not about how much we could win or lose on a sports bet. We have the power to consciously make every moment more simply by being present in the moment and with those around us. Think about the most positive memories you have. They were all likely made by living that moment fully immersed in what you were doing and focused on those you were with.

Making every moment more is about giving your best in whatever you are doing. It doesn’t have to be complicated, and it doesn’t have to involve financial risk, it just requires you to be present and focused. I can attest to that not being an easy task when distractions arise, and I too often fall short (no height jokes please). Striving to make every moment more is all we can do. Celebrate the successes and learn from the misses.

The upcoming holiday season is the perfect time to focus on making every moment more for you and those around you. Live in the moment, be present, and spread the spirit of the holidays - everyday.

www.RetiredandInspiredat55.com 10-30-2023