Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
Airing during NFL football, Pampers has a minute-long commercial that drew me right from the first newborn on screen. But it wasn’t the visuals, as cute as babies can be, that captured my attention. It was the song. Check it out then scroll down for more…
The Song. The song playing as the soundtrack is a familiar one but as a cover from Stephen Wilson, Jr. Here’s the live performance of “Stand By Me” from 2024.
For the Kids. Music is awesome, isn’t it? Every once in a while a song, or a cover song, comes along that stops us in our tracks. This Publix commercial is kind of like that. So I totally get it if you’re here for the music. But if those cute babies were tugging on your heartstrings, you should check out my children’s books, I bet you’ll love them, too. 💙
If you’ve been following Out of the Wilderness for awhile, you’re probably aware I like to write about commercials. Let’s face it, we watch more of commercial content than any program we ever watch! A guy I used to work in television with once said that all we make (as TV show producers) is a vehicle for advertisements. That blew my mind because I’d never thought of it that way and he was right. Ads pay for the programs we like. So then it makes sense that some of those ads are incredibly creative, funny, inspiring, or memorable. It’s how brands can stand out when our attention is constantly being competed for. Not all commercials hit the mark, though. I’m thinking of this confusing one from Sprite and this ironic one from Buick, for instance. But then one comes along that reminds us how great commercials can be. Nike. Known for their top athletic brand status and their slogan “Just Do It”… they’ve released a new ad and if it doesn’t make your heart beat even just a little faster, you’re the problem. OK, I’m kidding, you’re awesome! The commercial is awesome, too.
The commercial shows people doing fun things like head balling, no-leg kneeling, orange gun holding, ocean hovering, ball kicking, sand blasting, crowd surfing, blanket flying, and women’s basketball. Most of it is in slow motion, which elevates the moment to something epic, even if it’s not that epic. Slow motion makes everything better, doesn’t it? Except when you’re waiting at the doc’s office.
There have been a few Nike commercials I didn’t like. This new one, though goes in the other category. I love it. Sports are amazing for a lot of reasons. The ad captures the idea that the reason we compete is to take a chance that we might win. We might surprise ourselves.
You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
I think it’s in the human design to strive. Move upwards. Be better… even if it just means better than you were yesterday. There’s a verse in a song from the 90s and it goes like this…
Don’t waste your time on jealousy Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind The race is long and in the end, it’s only with yourself.
I love sports and winning is a really good feeling. But also keep in mind something that I have experienced time and time again. There’s a lot of learning in the losses. Winning isn’t everything and more important than everything is how we treat people during the journey, whether it’s an opponent, an official, a fan, a friend, a family member… and to steal another line from that song…
If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
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Less than a year ago I had an embarrassing (but more heroic every time I tell the story 🤔) crash during a sprint triathlon. It led to a trip to the local ER. Fast forward 11 months and I’m back, baby! Not in the same city as the bike crash and thankfully, not in an ER either. It’s a Friday so walk-in clinics are open for business and this “injury” is more like “just Ben getting old.” It was a visit to a local orthopedic clinic with extreme pain in my right knee after accomplishing extraordinary athletic endeavors… and yes, that is sarcasm which can translate to playing adult league slow-pitch softball. But the pain was elite! Like, I can barely even press the gas or brake pedals in my truck.
Going to the doctor to find out, once again, that I’m old is not very entertaining. I didn’t tear anything, break anything, twist anything. I just don’t have much cartilage left in my knees. Plus inflammation. But there was a highlight in the waiting room. Around 60 people hanging around, chatting, checking their phones, listening for their name to be called. A flamboyant man walked through, and stopped in front of the elevator doors. He turned around to us, the waiting patients, and asked if we could all see him… in a very judgemental tone. He then said good, we could type it into our phones. As the elevator doors closed he went on about something and the rest of us were left there wondering what just happened. In our current culture, this might sound like something dangerous was amiss. But this guy, how do I say it… he was a flaming homosexual.
I would’ve brought a book if I knew I’d be waiting for over an hour but I ended up starting a free trial of Kindle I’ll have to cancel later. There goes my attempt at less screen time!
To summarize: Old. Arthritis. Kindle. Gay.
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Last month I wrote about putting together a new “softball” playlist. I think it came together quite well, if I’m being honest. The actual softball playing, ehhhhh notsomuch. I batted 3 times and got out twice. The third attempt, well I didn’t swing at all and got walked. I figured if I can’t get myself on base with a good hit, I’ll see if the pitcher gets me there, which he did. On defense, I played 3rd base and had an average performance. A couple of bad throws but I had a couple of stops and a caught fly ball. Why am I telling you this?
I relay this info to you because tonight will be the second game I’ve played since the covid era. I feel less anxious, more calm, and I’m ready to do what I know I can do… which is get on base by myself (take that, pitcher!).
Gear tonight will be all the stuff that was new last week (these batting gloves, these Under Armour cleats, team jersey, hat from Goodwill) plus adding these baseball pants (I slid into home plate last week and that old, familiar strawberry injury happened again). Tonight’s going to be a good, good night. I’ve got a feeling.
Is it a hot take if most people believe the opinion? Probably not. But! Here’s my hot take of the day: If the Alabama football team is 3-3 or worse, their head coach will get fired mid-season. I think most football fans are aware that they aren’t the team they used to be and it’s glorious to watch the dynasty crumble like a dry cookie, isn’t it? Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is going to hear a LOT of de-booing if there are any, and I mean any, mistakes this weekend. Last year they were 9-4 and this year, one of only 2 SEC teams with a losing record already. When is the last time you saw Alabama at the bottom of the SEC? The answer is today. Today you have seen Alabama at the bottom of the SEC. Yes, even behind Vanderbilt.
If you are still on the fence about Alabama’s decline, just take a look at their QB during the game against Florida State.
Not quite the image anyone wants as a representation of their team and yet, here they are… Alabama fans probably asking for anyone with the last name of Saban to step up and apply for the head coach position. Nick, his wife, their daughter, do they have a dog that’s available?? I bet they’d even take the family’s pet turtle at this point!
Out of the Wilderness 