As we enter the last month of this summer, I am sharing a few inspirational stories that have made their way into my consciousness. I hope all of you are enjoying a peaceful summer, and thank you, as always, for being part of this community.

World Cup Fandom

First up, I can’t let too much time pass before celebrating how much I enjoyed and was inspired by the World Cup this summer. I loved watching games with Lisa, Jackie and Samuel, and really loved watching the US play Turkey with my siblings, their spouses and a few nieces.  Picture here of the Kronick family.

The matches, upsets and daily drumbeat of stories kept me entertained throughout. I loved how well the legends played and remained inspired by Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luca Modric. Erling Haaland certainly left his imprint, as did the whole team of Norway. What was most meaningful to me, a person who believes the world is a better place when people of different countries have a chance to connect and learn more about each other, was experiencing the global goodwill that took place. My favorite inspirational story was watching the underdog team of Cape Verde play, and learning more about their 40-year-old goalkeeper, Vozinha.

I also had the opportunity to spend time with great global football friends from my time in China, Mike Allen, Glyn Binkin and Misha Sher. Mike and Glyn were following the South African team, attended all of their games, and scored seats for Samuel, me and my good friend and former coach, Carlos Juarez.

More On Cape Verde

Cape Verde, officially named the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island nation of ten volcanic islands in the central Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa. Its capital is Praia, its official language is Portuguese, and its population is about 550,000 people. This small country drew with Spain, tied Uruguay, tied Saudi Arabia and was the smallest nation to ever reach the knockout stage. Vozinha was like Spider-Man in goal, recording more than 18 saves throughout the tournament. I’m sharing here a video of his interview with CBS to give you a view into his wonderful character

Li-Ning – Steph Curry Partnership

In the area of sports, I truly enjoyed spending time this summer with the Chinese Olympian, Li Ning, and his family. We lived next door to Li Ning in Beijing, and he has been a long-time friend of our family. His athleticwear brand has been doing wonderfully, and I was ecstatic when I heard Li Ning secured a long-term partnership with Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors NBA superstar.

Movie Inspiration

For those of you less interested in football or soccer and more interested in the arts, this summer has also had some gems. We just watched the movie, The Odyssey, which I loved, and I appreciate the skill of Christopher Nolan and apparently how little he used computer generated imaging (CGI) or other forms of modern technology, often used in today’s films, to create this classic.

Lisa also suggested I watch the movie, Remarkably Bright Creatures, on Netflix, which is an adaptation from Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling 2022 novel. The story is a heartwarming exploration of grief, family, and second chances, famously told in part through the perspective of a remarkably intelligent and grumpy giant Pacific octopus. If you haven’t seen it, this movie is another dose of inspiration for your summer delight.

Creative Nonfiction

As for your reading pleasure, there is never a shortage of great articles appearing in the New Yorker. I truly love this magazine for its long-form journalism. One of my favorite New Yorker writers is John McPhee. He is considered one of the pioneers of creative nonfiction, and since 1974 he has been a journalism professor at Princeton University. I was reminded of McPhee during a lunch I had with a journalist recently, and we talked about his wonderful book on writing, Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process. For anyone who loves tennis and the coming US Open, I highly recommend McPhee’s “Levels of the Game”, that explores the relationship between tennis players, Arthur Ashe and Clark Grabber, and their tennis match at the 1968 US Open.

A Touch of Nature

For me personally, Lisa and I also had a dose of wildlife inspiration in the state of Colorado, where we visited my sister Erin, her fiancé Peter, and daughter Sloane. We were fortunate with the wildlife sightings, including several moose and an elk that came up to our window to say hello.

Wishing you all similar luck in this final month of the summer.