How to “Outkick" Your Coverage
Having spent over 25 years as the NFL Players Association’s Medical Director (and playing 16 years of tackle football through high school and college), my metaphors are often football related. Coming off Mothers’ Day, one metaphor I have always favored is when meeting a couple for the first time, I often turn to the husband and say, “You outkicked your coverage!” (The saying applies to any couple, regardless of gender, by the way…) It connotes perhaps a bit of humor, but also a fundamental gratitude we all feel towards those whose lives we are privileged to share in a committed relationship and transcends sexes, gender, marital status, and other boundaries-it is a deep and fundamental, spiritual gratitude that the person with us shares our hopes, dreams, aspirations…and failures.
Regular readers of these missives know that I most assuredly outkicked my coverage with my beautiful, brilliant, always inspiring Muse of a wife, Maureen, to which the picture attests (as all pictures of Maureen and me do…)
There is an excellent historical lesson from this, coming from Winston Churchill, who is one of the historical figures from whom we can learn the most. (For those who would point to WSC’s faults, I am well aware of them…but prefer to take the man as a whole, which, on balance, leads to a more generous, less carping view…)
Those who are well read know that Winston simply adored his wife, Clementine Hozier, who was his rock in times of crisis and whose sage wisdom kept him from many, many mistakes (which reminds me of Maureen’s effect on me…) While Clementine’s mother initially objected to her marrying Winston, she relented once she realize how deeply he loved her and how committed he was to her happiness.
This became apparent at a luncheon held by the Lord Mayor of London during World War II, attended by numerous British potentates, the press, and Winston and “Clemmie” as well. The Lord Mayor rose to toast the Prime Minister, with the clever intent of both honoring the PM’s leading in times of crisis, but also seeing if he could pose a question of WSC which was tricky. After praising him, the Lord Mayor asked, “Prime Minister, if you could not be Winston Churchill, what other man in all of history, would you choose to be?” (As I said, a tricky question…)
Without hesitation, the PM rose to his full 5’6” height and declared firmly, “If I could not be Winston Churchill, I would most assuredly choose to be…Mrs. Churchill’s second
husband!” A kind and gracious-but brutally honest moment, when WSC declared that he, too, had “outkicked his coverage.”
While Mothers’ Day inspired this newsletter, it is worth taking time every day to consider how each of us has outkicked their coverage in our relationships and how important it is, not only to be grateful, but to express that gratitude every day and in every way possible.
And yes, if anyone ever asks me that question, if I could not be Dr. Thom Mayer, I would most assuredly choose to be Maureen Mayer’s second husband!
Thanks for reading,
Doc
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Doctor Thom Mayer has been a leader in times of crisis for over 25 years, navigating some of the most significant challenges imaginable.
He is the Medical Director for the NFL Players Association, as well as an emergency physician-sports medicine leader of international renown.
He served as the Command Physician at the Pentagon Rescue/Recovery Operation on 9/11, Incident Commander for the inhalational anthrax outbreak in Washington, DC that same year, and led a Team Rubicon Mobile Emergency Team in Ukraine following the outbreak of war.
He is among the most widely respected leaders in times of crisis and is a highly sought after speaker and consultant across many businesses and industries.