opinion
Justin Langer: How Chris Mainwaring’s death taught me to live one day at a time

“Much-loved” is how we would best describe Chris Mainwaring. Mention his name to anyone who knew and loved him, and you get the same reaction every time. The consistent response whenever his name is muttered, is a mischievous grin, a shake of the head, and a ‘Mainy’ story. Of which there were many. Mainy was known for his outgoing and gregarious personality. A bit of a larrikin, he had a reputation for being lively and good-humoured both on and off the field. His larrikin nature endeared him to fans and made him a popular figure in the world of Australian rules football. His family and friends adored him. His legacy as a talented athlete and respected sports media personality was outstanding. He played 201 games for the West Coast Eagles as a tough and gifted wingman. He won two premierships, was a three-time fairest and best runner-up, and was inducted into the WA Football Hall of Fame in 2005. For many the defining moment of the 1992 triumph was Mainy jumping off the interchange bench celebrating when the final siren sounded. After retiring from his playing career, he became a popular sports media personality working as a television and radio commentator. He was also a very good martial artist. Tragically, one of WA’s favourite sons passed away on October 1, 2007. He was just 41 years old. I remember the moment I found out we’d lost him like it was yesterday. We had trained together the day before at Aspire Gym. Under the watchful eye of Justin Boylan and Steve Smith (family-like friend and toughest fitness trainer in the world!), we were preparing for a charity kickboxing fight at Challenge Stadium three days later. Justin was our martial arts instructor and great friend, and it was he who had sold us the idea of a charity bout for Telethon. It was the second time in three days we had jumped into the ring together. Me the 73kg mosquito, matched up against the 90kg jackhammer and bull. I was nervous, but in his happy way, I was reassured by Mainy that everything would be OK and that we would put on a good show. After sweating up a storm that day, only 24 hours after that year’s AFL Grand Final, we gave each other a handshake and hug and promised to see each other in the ring in a few days. The next morning, I arrived early at a West Australian cricket training session. As I jumped out of the car I was greeted by our strength and conditioning trainer Greg Harding who had a worrying look on his face. “Everything OK?” I asked. “Mainy has died mate.” You know that moment when time stands still. It did then. “Mainy’s died?” Nothing made sense for a few seconds, as my brain computed the information that had just been shared with me. At his funeral a little while later, Suzanne Wylie (nee Julian) read a beautiful poem called One Day at a Time. So moved was I by the words; I had them printed on a large canvas that has sat broadly on a wall in my house for the last 16 years. One Day At A Time There are two days in every week about which we should not worry; Two days which should be kept free of fear and apprehension; One of these days is YESTERDAY, With its mistakes and cares, Its faults and blunders, Its aches and pains. YESTERDAY has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back YESTERDAY. We cannot undo a single act we performed. We cannot erase a single word we said. YESTERDAY is gone. The other day we should not worry about is TOMORROW; With its possible adversities, its burdens, its larger promise. TOMORROW is also beyond our immediate control TOMORROW, the sun will rise, Either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds; But it will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in TOMORROW For it is as yet unborn. This leaves only one day - TODAY. Any man can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternitys YESTERDAY and TOMORROW That we break down. It is not the experience of TODAY that drives men mad. It is remorse or bitterness for something which happened YESTERDAY And the dread of what TOMORROW may bring. Let us, therefore, live but ONE day at a time. I often think about these words. I did again over the last few weeks. After flying to Adelaide, Brisbane, and home from the Test match on Sunday, I had to fly to Cape Town on Tuesday for an MCC World Cricket Committee meeting. All up, 60 hours has been taken up flying or in transit. When your schedule gets scarily busy, the challenge is to stay focused on one day at a time. What I have found is that if I look too far ahead, I get exhausted thinking about what I am missing out on at home, or how better I could be spending my time. Grateful as I am for the opportunities I have in my life; I often have to pull myself out of a past and future mindset. In this state of thinking I find two things happen. One is that I am not enjoying the great experiences as they occur, and secondly, my energy and performance decline because I stop focusing on what it important at that moment. As a batsman, I couldn’t score a century unless I focused on one ball at a time. Part of my pre-ball routine and mantra was to say, “this ball”, before every ball I faced. These two simple words reminded me to totally engulf myself in the contest of the moment. If I thought about the ball before, or what might happen a few balls later, my concentration was compromised. And compromised concentration equalled failure. Running a marathon cannot be achieved unless you take one step at a time. A par round of golf can’t be achieved without nailing one shot at a time. You can’t write a novel without concentrating on one page a day. If you save $8 per day, you save $3000 in a year. Read 20 pages per day and you have read 30 books per year. Walk 10,000 steps per day and you have walked 70 marathons in the year. The point is, never underestimate the power of living one day at a time, one hour at a time, one minute at a time. Breaking life into small chunks makes it easier to digest a lot of the time. Or as one of my favourite scriptures reminds us: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Easier said than done, but worth a crack.

opinionJustin Langer: How Chris Mainwaring’s death taught me to live one day at a time

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Justin Langer: How Chris Mainwaring’s death taught me to live one day at a time