It’s just sorta kinda possible that I thought the cheerleaders in high school were stuck up airhead bimbos with bad taste in music and boyfriends. Or maybe it was just that they stole some of the guys I woulda preferred be my boyfriends.

Not bitter or nuthin’…I’m just sayin’…

But the thing is that as fluffy as I thought they were they had talents. Anyone who could keep people in the stands at my school with the craptastic football team (and basketball team. and soccer team. and…) is to be commended. And I think their routines and outfits were one of the only things that managed to do that most games.

See, they may not have often had what I thought of as intellectual muscle…but on the other hand, I couldn’t hold and balance a bunch of people up on my shoulders in some pyramid formation. I didn’t have their stamina. I didn’t have their acrobatics. Or their dedication to learn routines. Or the desire to give up any Saturdays for the sake of our school.

(Before I go any farther, I know there are really smart cheerleaders in the world. I just never met any in my lifetime…and I don’t think the avocation inspires deep thought)

In the same way there are not so intellectual things that get me through the rough patches. You probably have some too. Maybe it’s watching silly Lifetime channel movies. Or playing the Wii or PlayStation or something. Or reading Harlequin romance books. Or watching WWF wrestling or whatever WW-something they use these days.

In a stressed out world that’s stretching some of us to our limits, lets not overlook or under-value those things that bring us cheer.

As silly as some of them seem, we may look back on them and realize they are the things that kepts us from snapping like rice krispies or going off the deep end.

After all, I can look back on all those cheerleaders I disdained and realize they played an important role for me and the rest of the school.