Suck It, Brother!

He did it again. That ruthless brother of mine won our bracket challenge...for the second year in a row. The little twit! Of course, the tournament is not over for another week, but as we stand, no one can score enough points to catch him. Actually, it's not my brother than annoys me. It is the fact that I have YET AGAIN devoted entirely too much mental energy to something that proved pointless. I spent days pouring over stats and expert picks . I read every article posted by every basketball fanatic on ESPN.com, SportsIllustrated.com, and CBSSports.com. I changed by bracket multiple times before finally, reluctantly, calling it official. My brother, on the other hand, filled his out in about three minutes with little to no thought. And he wins!?

This could be a metaphor for my life. I stress. I fret. I spend precious moments that I will never get back worrying about insignificant details that really have no bearing on the overall scheme of life. In the end, none of it matters. Those who go with their guts prevail. Those who take chances end up winners. Those who fly by the seat of their pants get the glory. What about those of us who are thinkers? Planners? Detail-oriented anal retentives? We get the shaft.

My only consolation is that my eight-year-old son may end up beating my brother. Lucas' bracket, though laughable when he filled it out, has proved to be nothing short of brilliant. He had the balls to bet on Kentucky. He was a true-blue believer. And that faith in the power of the Big Blue Nation is paying off. He is too young to gamble, of course (damn!). So my brother will win the cash. But my son may just walk away with the glory.

Suck it, Brother! (And I say that with the utmost love and respect.)