Keep Chipping Away

 

In the most recent Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and OKC Thunder, the latter were leading for more than 47 minutes of the game until Indiana's Tyrese Hyliburton unleased a jumper with 3 tenths of a second for Indiana to steal Game 1 from OKC Thunder.  HOW the latter could have led by as much as fifteen points in the final quarter and yet still allowed the Indiana Pacers to steal Game 1 from the OKC home court can only be explained in 3 to 4 words. Indiana kept CHIPPING AWAY until it was really GAME OVER💚💛💜

Much as in life, we DON'T get buried under the bushel of oblivion all instantaneously,  NOT UNTIL IT'S GAME OVER, then the game is NEVER OVER.  It is as simple as that.  You could have flunk your latest academic final exams OR suddenly you were given the pink slip with you NOT having the slightest inkling OR your partner/spouse pulling a rabbit by filing for divorce WHEN you were absolutely clueless.  BUT until that GAME IS OVER, until everything has lapsed OR expired, then you should never forget that you will always have that Chinaman's chance to pull the trick and steal the game even similarly to the jump shot by Tyrese Haliburton with 0.3 seconds left in their NBA Finals Game 1 playoff with OKC Thunder💥💥💥

Such is life exactly.  You can be penniless now.  OR suddenly jobless.  OR even homeless or abandoned by your family [even if it's your fault after all] BUT the thing is, the GAME IS NOT OVER TILL IT'S OVER.  NOT until the game's over.  Sadly, many of us would raise the white flag even before the game's buzzer sounds off.  BUT WHAT explains HOW stories like this NBA Finals Game 1 ended up being decided in 0.3 seconds out of the 48 minutes of the game?  Plain and simple.  The Indiana Pacers team kept CHIPPING AWAY [even if they were so down deep by 15 points right on the final quarter of Game 1].  This does NOT differ much from the games we face in our life❎❎❎

I remember the numerous times WHEN I was like in that situation of the Indiana Pacers.  WHEN I was penniless.  WHEN I was jobless.  WHEN I was facing challenges adjusting to live and work in an entirely new culture.  I could have easily given up WHEN my back was against the wall.  BUT I reminded myself, TO HELL, I've gone and reach this far ONLY TO GIVE UP?  No way Jose!  Instead, I told myself, I got enough time to rally up BUT if I needed to be CHIPPING AWAY, the time is NOW😕😕😕

Our takeaway:  Of all things, be fully conscious of your ballgame.  If you're into football, it's 90 minutes.  If it's the NBA professional game, it's 48 minutes.  If it's all about your life, then you got to figure out as to HOW much time you'll play on your hands before it's GAME OVER.  Forget about those technical 5-minute extensions in an NBA game OR the football penalty kick.  DON'T even wait for that last gasp of a second because that could be a hair-raising last gasp for survival BUT if at all that's WHAT remains in your active clock time, so be it, continue CHIPPING AWAY.  WHO knows you can still steal a 'W' from a foregone loss!!!