The Grass is Always Browner . . .

People have always commented that I'm a very optimistic person. I've been asked on more than one occasion why I'm so happy all the time, and tonight I have found their answer; I've always realized that even if my life seems tough at the moment, someone else is always worse off, and I have always felt blessed that I'm not that guy.
Tonight the Law School Gunners had our first soccer match. All day long our team appointed coach had been telling me I needed to step it up tonight. "Clark, game on; don't screw it up, this is our hardest match of the season." All day I had been mentally preparing. Our opponents, the Knights, are an undefeated team. They have scored heavily on the teams they have played for the last two weeks. We knew our opponent, and Coach wanted us to win.
I showed up at the soccer field one hour early. Our team warmed up, chatted, and played with Chief, our goalie's adorable new puppy (and our little barking cheerleader from the sidelines). We streched, frightfully commented on how beastly the other team's girls looked, and sent our starters out onto the field. After we scored the first goal, it was basically a head to head (actually, head to ball is more appropriate) game until the end. I didn't start the game, but after 15 minutes I subbed in. I kicked and got kicked. I tripped and got tripped. I took the ball and had the ball taken from me. I cheered for my teammates and they cheered for me. I watched our team score and I watched thier team score . . . and score . . . . and score. The final score was 4-2, Knights.
After the game we complimented the other team on their win, and high fived each other. The Gunners sat in a group, somewhat quietly, peeling off our shin guards and cleats. I broke the silence with my usual optimistic discourse.

Me: "You guys, that was a tough team and we did better against them than any other team has
so far. We played really well, good job!"

Coach: "Clark, there's no pep talks in soccer."

Me: "Yes there is. You did well too."

Coach: "Okay, you want a pep talk? Win next time. There."

Coach makes me laugh when we argue. This could be a problem since we are partnered up for our oral moot argument in the supreme court this semester. Me v Coach- funny, dry, pessimistic coach.
The thought of me arguing against Coach gets me thinking of my legal writing class' field trip tomorrow. This field trip is the perfect contrast to what, as Coach thinks, seems bad as opposed to someone whose life actually is bad. At 9am we will all be in the supreme court hearing an appellate argument over a death penalty.
Fredrick Evins was convicted of the abduction, rape and brutal stabbing murder of a convinence store clerk. He used the money he took from her store to go on a drug binge. He is also on trial for another similar murder. He was sentenced to death, with the execution date set for Jan 19th. The appeals process may save him, or it may prolong his deah for a few years.
Here are three tragedic examples of how losing a soccer game isn't the end of the world. Fredrick, or his two victims, would give anything right now to have just lost a soccer game. Watching this argument tomorrow, I may feel as if I would give anything to have just lost a soccer game.
This death penalty case will be heart-wrenching; it will be worse for me if the defendant (petitioner) is present. I keep imagining how I will feel sitting in a room with someone who did such horrible, despicable things to two innocent people. There is a sickening power that this man has that I don't understand; I felt bad enough accidently kicking one of the Knights in the shin guard, so I can't imagine ever stabbing someone. Beyond what he did, the knowledge that this man is facing the end of his existence, and is sitting before me hanging on to the last hope of living, and that life being nothing more than a mere dismal life in prison, is overwhelming.
In the next two days I will write a blog on how it actually felt. For now, please take this lesson; no matter how many soccer games you may lose, no matter how tough it gets at the end of the semester when you have spent a month sitting in a room alone and studying for finals, no matter how bad you feel when you have caught the flu going around school again- there is always someone- whether its a person whose life is on trial, or a person who has lost their family member to a brutal crime- who would love to be you, experiencing what you find to be your terrible moment.