The Cup

This past weekend was pretty cool for a hockey fan such as myself. NHL All Star Weekend happened in Los Angeles so I made the trek down the hill to see the goings-on. I can sum it up in two words (although, I will certain add more after the initial two): Worth It!!!

Tickets for the actual game were way too expensive, but I was sucked in by the marketing propaganda for the Fan Fair. $20 bucks a ticket which included an opportunity to get a photograph with the Stanley Cup. Let’s just say that I couldn’t give them my money fast enough! So we hopped in the car on a freezing Saturday morning in Ridgecrest and headed to sunny Los Angeles.

After braving the l-o-n-g line to get in then another even l-o-n-g-e-r line to get our moment with the oldest trophy in North American sports we finally marched up the steps to the platform. I was a bit disappointed to learn that the NHL took the photo and emailed it to you. I always like to know things right away. Also, no selfies allowed…

So after several hours of adventure…click…move along please. I took the opportunity to do my best Wayne Gretzky and kiss Lord Stanley’s Cup (as did Bev), then we went down the stairs.

This was Bev’s first up close encounter with the Cup. I had seen and touched it at the NHL Hall of Fame in 2005. To say that I was anxious to see the picture is an understatement. I compulsively checked my email every 10 minutes and got more and more stressed with each failure.

So by now you might be wondering “What does this have to do with recovery?” Here it is: I had put all my hopes in this one thing. I wanted to see the Stanley Cup, but then that wasn’t enough, I needed the picture to prove that I did. My quest for my “fix” overtook all reason. I kept checking for the email during church. I sent emails to the NHL asking where it was. I ran through scenarios in my head about what I would expect from them to make up for this travesty of justice.

And then, as I checked for the third time during a three hour meeting with my boss it finally arrived. I was relieved, and yes, it was awesome. But I had let this photo rob me of peace and joy for days. And had it not come, I was allowing it to tarnish the actual event. Go Kings Go, and…

-Rise Up