as i sat in my home office in my cream fake leather chair typing away, with the last of the winter sun pouring through the window, my phone buzzed.
i lifted it. from where i had it perched on the arm of the chair.
it was an unknown number, but a video call.
experience told me “don’t answer it”.
i answered it.
i saw myself on my screen, but the caller had the camera turned off.
“why’d you answer it?”
judgemental jeff asked.
just because!
i answered jj brusquely.
“hello?”
i asked the blank screen.
nothing.
jj laughed.
“told you not to answer it”
i hung up, imagining what some villainous group of fraudsters would be doing with my video image.
why’d i answer it?
i actually don’t know.
i doubted my life choices for a minute, and carried on typing, no harm done.
ten minutes passed.
my phone buzzed again.
the same number was video calling.
“DON”T ANSWER IT”
jj barked.
i answered it.
only this time i outsmarted them.
i pointed the camera at my radiator.
genius.
“hello?”
i offered to the gangster consortium at the other end of the line.
“smitty, is that you?”
a canadian accent came out my phone.
i turned the camera around.
“woodsy?”
peter woods was my best ice hockey coach i ever had, and i had not seen him for over 30 years.
“did you call earlier” i asked.
“yeah, my battery died, sorry about that, how’re you doing?”
“i’m great thanks, good to see you”.
we spent the next hour catching up, and reminiscing, as old friends do, and the reason for the call was simple, he wanted a picture of me on everest for his mancave, which i found both weird and flattering in equal measure, i really respected this guy, i just couldn’t work out why he’d never reached out when i had first climbed it, oh well, not a problem to dwell on.
as we talked i told him that he had been a very big influence on me, he was a very calm coach, never panicked and exuded confidence.
a great role model.
and i confided in him how he had told me a story that had a massive impact on me.
he had just signed for basingstoke, and manchester, a huge club, with a much bigger budget, had a meeting with him, offering him a job with a huge salary and package if he could get out of his basingstoke contract.
woodsy said he could get out of the contract, but asked the manchester guys if he did that, would he be the right guy for their job, as if another club offered him more money he would let them down.
a very honourable thing to do, and i have told that story many times.
woodsy coached me and my team mates to a league title, and went on to coach the great britain national team, he also was one of the coolest guys i met during my career.
we wrapped up the call, and i smiled.
i’m glad i took that call, i’d hate to have missed that conversation.
in my book risk is always better than regret.
jj scowled.
have a great week,
blue skies,
jeff
c
