I know, I know. Another Seahawks story. But stay with me please.

During the trophy presentation after the Seattle Seahawks won the NFC Championship, Michael Strahan asked Coach Mike Mcdonald about the Seahawks being an “afterthought” in the NFL.

Coach’s response was: “We Did Not Care.” It was stated in a precise way, with distinct pauses between each word. I will be honest, it was odd.

Unless, that is, you know Coach Mcdonald. I don’t know him personally, but during the football season I listen to his weekly radio show on Seattle Sports 710 AM. I have heard Coach admit he does not do public speaking well. But when questioned about this meme-inducing sentence, the cadence and the four words, his explanation made perfect sense. He knew that anything he said via the microphone would echo in the stadium. With that thought prevalent in his mind, he was careful to take a brief break between each word; hence the delivery. He and the entire Seahawks organization had been subjected to this narrative all season, that they were less than other teams, even as they stacked win upon win; hence the statement. It was not arrogance, it was not bravado. It was no BS. IYKYK.

The third youngest head coach in the NFL at 38 years old, Coach Mcdonald is known as a purpose-driven leader committed to fostering a culture of connection where the entire team has each other’s back. The Seahawks worry about themselves and their mission as a team over the individual while shutting out the critics, the doubters and the noise. There is trust and accountability. They stay true and focused on the game at hand, not projecting into the future.

Since I watched the “We Did Not Care” declaration live, I have mentioned to my husband multiple times that this may be my most favorite moment in all of sports. I have been wrapped up in this team in a way that I have never been before (click here for Our Seattle Seahawks Are Super Bowl Champions), despite my history of passionate Phillies and Flyers fandom.

After we had chosen, ordered and received our Super Bowl Championship gear, one day Mister Rain brought a newly delivered package in from the porch and handed it to me. “It’s for you,” he said. Opening it, I found a t-shirt of Coach Mcdonald with the words “We Did Not Care” printed on it. As I put it on this morning, I thought of the playoffs and the Super Bowl.

And then I thought of what this statement could mean for all of us.

I have always been a fairly confident person and I had fully expected that as I got older, the ability to Not Care would become easier. In my own case, the vision loss took me back a little in certain areas. For instance, now when I am in a crowd I always worry about holding up the people behind me, in a concourse at an entertainment venue, at the airport or going down steps. But in general, I think my Do Not Care meter has stayed about the same, with no discernable increase as my number of trips around the sun grew greater.

Maybe it has nothing to do with the passage of time. After all, Coach Mike Mcdonald is almost young enough to be my son yet by all appearances he has not only mastered this concept, but teaches it – preaches it – to others. And with four strangely spoken words, he has reminded me that as long as we are not hurting anyone, we should not care what people think. We should concentrate on our own goals, both professional and personal. We should do you, boo.

I won’t care if you won’t.

GO HAWKS!!!

#SisterRain #ALittleSightALotOfHeart #LegallyBlindWriter #LifeIsGood #Storytelling #Seahawks #CoachMikeMcdonald #WeDidNotCare