cheat or fair is fair or mom really did a number on me

Cheat or “fair is fair” or, my mom really did a number on me.
Mom never heard the famous sailing quote of Mr. Elvstrom, "You haven't won the race, if in winning the race you have lost the respect of your competitors." Neither did she ever sailed a Laser or any boat for that matter except day sails aboard Shipajoy I in Puerto Rico and Shipajoy II here in Tampa Bay. She in fact only went to the beach occasionally or at least far less frequently than the average Puerto Rican. I for one could have been a remarkable beach bum but that is another story dear Linda Litke.
She, the one that I remember as a lion with a woman’s face, had a different upbringing. She worked hard all her life, unabatedly strove to better her lot and refused to yield no matter the foe. Her tiny frame contained a huge heart and if the spirit had mass, hers would have been the proverbial unmovable object. Yeah, you could say she was bull-headed too but in a nice way. Mom hated falsehood above all other human faults. Her soul was open to all in the most sincere of ways but cheats were branded as such for life.
There are so many examples about those life lessons that I could fill tomes and manage to bore you out of this blog. Growing up with her meant a strict adhesion to the principle of fairness…”what is right is right and that is that”. To find a wallet full of money and credit cards meant an immediate call to the owner. Being deceitful to get and advantage was beyond her understanding.
Growing up with her meant these precepts were a fact of life which brings us back to Mr. Elvstrom. "You haven't won the race, if in winning the race you have lost the respect of your competitors." How many times have you witnessed a guy in front of you ooching downwind repeatedly or rock ‘n rolling or worse yet, rolling and fanning the main with a tug on the tiller effectively “rowing” the boat? He may be a better sailor but he is also ahead because of his deceitful ways. Is he beating you? Perhaps, but not really. He is not competing like you, he is cheating. He is the kind of guy who may “rub” a mark and not do his turn unless somebody protests him. But, you can tell that if the infraction occurs and he perceives that nobody saw it, he will smile and keep going.
Our sport is too precious to spoil it with that conduct. Life is too precious to go through it constantly thinking in terms of “The Art of War” chapters. If anything, we should go through life in the terms of “Desiderata”. All except the part that goes, “Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth”. There I believe we should “cheat” the nursing home and die on our lasers! And I quote, “Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.”