“It Ain’t Nothin’ But a Thang”

One night during my sophomore year in high school, my junior varsity football team lost a close game. The close games were always the toughest ones. Somehow it seemed worse to lose by just a few points than to lose by a large margin. I guess with the close games, you could always look back and say, “If that guy had just made that one catch… if that one call had gone our way… we might have won the game.”

After the game I walked off the field, my head lowered, feeling incredibly down. Out of nowhere, one of the seniors from the varsity team walked up to me. He put his arm around my shoulders and asked, “Little Doonie, why you looking so down?” (Doonie was my dad’s nickname.) I pointed out that we had just lost a close game; why wouldn’t I feel down about that? The varsity player looked at me and said, “I know it’s tough, but just remember: it ain’t nothing but a thang.” Then he smiled, clapped me on the shoulder and walked away. I didn’t really understand what he meant, but I felt better.

A few years later while home from college over the holidays, I was hanging out at a bar in Georgetown feeling down after recently breaking up with my girlfriend. Once again, the same varsity football player popped up in my life. I hadn’t seen the man in years, and yet there he was in that bar. Just like before, he came over and asked me what was wrong. I explained about my girlfriend, and he gave me the same advice he had given me after that football game: “Remember, it ain’t nothing but a thang!”

All these years later, when life throws a thunderbolt my way and knocks me down I stop and think to myself, “It ain’t nothing but a thang.” Somehow, it always makes me smile and realize that it’s all going to work out. It seems to have worked for that varsity football player – he’s gone on to become very successful. I bet that phrase has a lot to do with how he has achieved his success.

Have a great weekend,
Ro