Marlene Buckler, MD, FACEP

     It was a great Super Bowl party I attended yesterday.  The food was superb, the company interesting and the air charged with energy.  Everyone ate too much, some drank too much and New York fans got a very special treat.

     For those pulling for the Patriots, however, there was disappointment.  The team failed to deliver on the generally accepted promise of remaining undefeated.  But just look at the season they had leading up to Super Bowl Sunday's impressive game.  Such a consistent demonstration of determination, skill and spirit.

     No one wins all the time, either in sports or in the more mundane aspects of life.  Hard as we try, dispite continuous efforts to excell and grow, if we compare ourselves to others, there will always be times when we feel like we've failed.

     In professional sports, of course, winning or failing can translate into big money.  But in our private lives the main performance we should be trying to beat is our own past performance.  Even then we will not always win.  And that's OK.  We should remember those times when we have succeeded and let the memories inspire us to keep going.

     The ultimate goal in life should be to strive for happiness.  We won't always believe we have it, we'll stumble and fall flat on our faces at times.  We'll feel like we can't get it right.  We might even wonder sometimes if the goal is worth the struggle. 

     It is.  Keep trying.  I have a feeling the New England Patriots  will.

Marlene Buckler,MD, FACEP            www.StayOutOfMyER.com