Coaching Future

Columbus Day, 2009.

As Christopher Columbus landed in 1492, and had we the technology available then, would he have wanted to send an e-mail to himself to be read oh, say a year into the future? What would he have wanted to say to himself in 1493? ("Don't give up! There *is* a shorter way to India!")

Hmmm.

Well, now we do have the technology to send yourself an e-mail in the future. Need to remind yourself of something you need to do? Want to remember what you're going through now and how you felt about it? Do you need to send your children a loving letter at some point after you've passed on?

Do it all at Future Me. Make sure you're using an e-mail address that's still likely to be there.

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It's said that Robert Knight, fabled for his temper on the basketball sidelines as a coach, had turned his thoughts to his future after his last firing, and was contemplating more than just basketball. So he called his church pastor one day and asked him, "Reverend, will I be able to coach basketball in Heaven?"

His pastor, not wanting to give a glib answer, asked for a few days to pray and meditate upon the issue.

About a week later, he returned Bob Knight's call and asked him to come in and meet with him in his study.

"Well, Bob," says the pastor, as the two sit down together, "there's good news and there's bad news. The good news is that yes, you'll be able to coach basketball in Heaven."

"Great!" exclaims Bob. "What's the bad news?"

"Unless you get a handle on that temper of yours, you'll be coaching for the visiting team."

[Colorado Comments]

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WORD for YOUR WEEK: Bobby Knight was once the very definition of the word "cantankerous," which is quarrelsome, ill-tempered, crotchety, ornery, and difficult to handle. It's one of those words that no one is quite sure where it came from, but the explanation I like best is that it's a mish-mash of the words "contentious" and "rancorous."

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