Point Of View

It wasn't the end of the world, David MacGarva, East Hampton High's football coach, told his players after the 20-0 homecoming loss to Westhampton. Believe it or not, he said, there were worse things that could befall them in life; they should hold their heads up and come back ready to win the following week.

Actually, it had been a marvelous day, what with balmy weather, a homecoming parade, as large a crowd - estimated at between 1,500 and 2,000 - as the Long Lane field had attracted in the past 20 years, and the return of many Bonac football alumni to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the sport here.

The big homecoming picture, then - the camaraderie, resilience, and continuity that one felt that day - was quite wonderful and memorable. For that, in the end, is what football is supposed to teach - work hard and savor the good moments, but not so much that you let the inevitable bad ones get you down. There's always something to work on - and that's the good news.

More even than happiness, one wishes for the young that they be engaged in useful work. Should that engagement lead to bliss, fine, but it really is the extent to which one is engaged that counts.

Giving up is probably the worst sin - whether giving up on oneself or giving up on others. That, essentially, was what the coach was saying.

I am still impressed in this regard by a clematis plant by our kitchen door that, even at this late date, is flowering. Not long ago, Mary and I, staring at a couple of sticks in the ground, had figured it was dead. But the following spring, boom! The vine, on which we had most assuredly given up, took off luxuriantly up the downspout and raced for the eaves.

It is, by and large, nature's way to bounce back. Plants do it. Why shouldn't football teams?

Jack Graves