MONDAY COMMENTARY – WASN’T ME

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98, Rock 98.5 FM & LTD Radio)

It’ll be great to get back to the grind today!

Sometimes you have to unplug and we did just that this weekend in the Florida Keys, however it came with some anxious moments.

Imagine having a full blown panic attack once you dive off a boat 20 miles off the coast in the Atlantic ocean! I never had that happen before but it happened on Saturday. The second I hit the water, my mind went blank and I couldn’t breathe.

It was something about being surrounded by tropical fish, webbed doo-dads on my feet and a breathing apparatus in my mouth that a stubblejumper like me just wasn’t comfortable with.

And let’s just say … the waves were a lot higher than I’d ever seen at Kenossee.

That was on Saturday but then on Sunday we capsized our small boat in the Gulf of Mexico! Don’t worry; it was near the shore in water only about five feet deep.

But we lived to tell about it. We always do.

Here’s a tip that’s taken me almost a half century to learn but I’ll pass along today for free: If you find the good things in your day, count your blessings daily and savour every moment, living in the now, it all adds up to a remarkable life.

So it’s back on air today and in truth, I was able to sneak in quite a bit of hockey watching over the weekend too. I just didn’t chime in about it on social media. That’s where the unplugging part comes in.

However it’s impossible not to notice perhaps the greatest playoff race in NHL history on the go, with four teams in the Eastern Conference tied for ninth-place, on the edge of the playoffs.

One of those teams is the Florida Panthers, who welcome the Vegas Golden Knights here to South Florida on Tuesday. Colour me tickled to be able to watch Jonathan Quick in the Knights net, and former Pat Chandler Stephenson on the Vegas top line.

Speaking of Pats, I see Regina had a very busy weekend and I was lucky enough to catch Regina’s huge comeback victory over Winnipeg Friday on NHL Network when Connor Bedard had four goals.

When I caught up with my messages and mentions, a hockey fan was chiding that it’s a good thing the Pats didn’t trade Connor Bedard and asked “Who was it that said the Pats were going to miss the playoffs?”

Wasn’t me.

Yeah we said here many times that the Pats aren’t going to contend for a title so it’s best to deal Bedard for a big return but that message has gotten washed away like a sandcastle on the beach.

Being able to block out and not worry about people twisting what you say is a lesson for another day.

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV, YouTube Live, IHeartRadio and WQEE Radio)