Seize the day

Well, being English I never thought I would be cheering on the Georgian Rugby Union Team, but last night I was on the edge of my seat wondering if they would deliver a giant-killing defeat to Ireland in the Rugby Union World Cup. Why was I shouting for Georgia, well because of a friend, who's name was Tim Attridge. Tim, who sadly is no longer with us having died several years ago spent time in Georgia and Tajikistan probably ten or fifteen  years ago now. As well as working on a number of projects, he helped to set up some Rugby Union teams. He felt the sporting ethos, especially that of Rugby Union, that catered for all shapes and sizes in one team, could transcend differences and difficulties and help to create mutual support and teamwork among a group of individuals. He once wrote to me about the young men that were learning the game who were turning up to train, many of them unable to afford the bus fare who were walking there and back as well as training for the games. He also said that they expressed great determination, resilience and spirit in their tackling and forward play, never giving up and commiting themselves totally to everything they did. Well, last night they proved him right in every way - Tim's life's tenet was "Carpe diem" - seize the day and they certainly demonstrated that - a lesson to us all.