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Franklin Cider Mill
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248-626-8261 • 14 Mile Rd. and Franklin Rd.
Hours: Open Daily lam-6:30pm • Weekends 8am76:30pm
Thanksgiving Day 8am-4pm;4111111 1 0110110
Last Day of Season, Sunday, December 2nd
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Wishing our Customers a very
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DWYER
SONS
(248) 624-0400
vow°
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www.dwyerandsons.com
84
September 13 Q 2012
iN
On Maple Rd. West of Haggerty
1/2 Mile E. of M-5, 4 Miles
N. of 1-96
OPEN SATURDAYS
MSU beat Boise State 17-13 Aug. 31 in East Lansing.
Passion And Priorities
T
he days of summer are fading
— but fear not, football has
begun! I was at the Library
Pub the other night to dine and enjoy
watching the Tigers' critical game
against the Chicago White Sox while
also catching the progress of MSU's
opening football game.
Apparently, my pri-
orities were not in order.
There were several large
tables filled with football
fans donned in green and
white — and the heartfelt
intensity of the fans rang
clear on virtually every
play. The Tiger game was
an ancillary matter even
though they are in the
midst of a pennant race,
and it was a showdown
series against Chicago.
The following night we were out
with friends and the circumstance
repeated itself. The dinner venue was
different, and it was the U-M football
game that dominated the TV viewers,
with the Tigers again commanding no
TV time.
Does this mean that football is with-
out question a greater "passion" than
baseball or should we credit some of
the intensity to the thrill of the first
game of the season?
If the Tigers make it to postseason
play and a playoff game is played on
Saturday afternoon, will the Tigers'
game dominate or will the MSU or
U-M football game rule the day?
Hopefully, the Tigers will make it
to postseason, and we will find the
answer to this life-changing question.
Have you ever noticed the degree
of planning that devoted football fans
undertake for game day? If they are
going to the game, all the details of
when to leave and which tailgate to
attend are determined often weeks
in advance. If not attending, we often
hear them fussing over such dramatic
issues as where will they watch the
game and who be joining them in the
endeavor.
Why do we demonstrate such pas-
sion for football or other sports? What
if we channeled this energy and enthu-
siasm to addressing our short- and
long-term financial future?
After all — who wins a game
has no real impact on our
lives, but we are all on the
same side when it comes to
the need to have adequate sav-
ings for retirement.
Football is a game. By itself
it does not create passion. The
passion is the emotion exem-
plified by the intense feelings
we demonstrate. It is fun to
be passionate about a sports
team; it is a diversion from the
day-to-day pressures that we encoun-
ter, and it makes us feel good.
Those who pursue social and chari-
table endeavors with passion do so
because they enjoy the positive feel-
ings gained by such activities. We also
say some people are passionate about
their work. Can we be passionate
about addressing our finances? Well, if
you do it right, the outcome will be a
better future — and while the process
may not meet the criteria of "fun," it
will make you feel better about your
future.
This means it is possible to be pas-
sionate about addressing your financ-
es. So instead of planning the next five
tailgate venues, pick a day in the next
month and take a good hard look at
where you are financially and where
you want to be in the next 10 years.
Make that day your Super Bowl. E
Ken Gross is an attorney with Thav Gross
and host of the Financial Crisis Talk Center
radio program at 8:30 a.m. Saturdays on
WDFN 1130 AM, "The Fan." His new book,
"Dump Your Debt," is available at Amazon.
com.