The big win, or loss, depending.

I watched the World Cup Finals today. The good women of the USA and the Netherlands. The Yanks vs. the Dutch. It was an incredible game.

As I watched the game, I wondered about the people playing. Who they are. What their lives are like in the everyday going of things. I know a bit about the United States, as a country. But not so much about the Netherlands. I’ve been there a couple of times, but my visits were fleeting. So I looked around a little, to see if I could get a picture of these foreign women.

I don’t know how much this has to do with soccer, but the Dutch have the lowest incidence of lactose intolerance. Now, by looking at the women on the Netherlands’ team, you can certainly tell they are a bunch of wholesome cheese-eaters. You can see it in their eyes. They seem like they’ve been around plenty of Gouda and Limburger.

The cheese-eating may account for the fact that Dutch men are the tallest people in the world. As women go, the Dutch are second tallest. Apparently, the women of Latvia are eating more cheese than the folks in Holland.

The other component might be the Licorice Factor. The Dutch are the largest consumers of licorice in the world. Black Licorice. I am hoping they keep this very separate from the cheese habit.

With all that licorice and cheese consumption, one would think they would be on the hefty side. But not so much. In fact, the Netherlands is the healthiest country in the world for diet. They ranked first in the world “for having the most plentiful, nutritious, healthy and affordable food among 125 countries.” (Oxfram Report). Some of the best food I’ve ever consumed was in Amsterdam. They crack fried eggs on everything. Even pizza. I was in Chicken-Egg-Heaven there.

As a people, they stay fit. This could be due to the fact that there are more bicycles than people over there. They walk a lot too. Over water. Amsterdam has 1,281 bridges. I’ve been lost on a whole lot of those bridges, while people who knew where they were going, whizzed by on their bicycles.

Maybe all the biking and walking accounts for their good nature. They seemed like quite a friendly bunch while we were there. The soccer team seemed good natured too. Perhaps this is because the Dutch greet each other with three kisses on the cheek. Depending on who you see during any day, that’s a big bunch of kissing.

But, I started all of this because of the World Cup Soccer Finals. Spoiler Alert. The USA beat the Netherlands, 2-0. But the first half of the game was scoreless. It was intense. That was some nail-biting-soccer-playing.

I’m overjoyed that the United States won their fourth World Cup Title. Two years in a row, now. But I felt sad for the ladies in the Orange. Yes, their uniforms were solid orange. Despite their flag being red, white and blue, orange is the national color. This is true because the monarchy is from the House of Orange. Thankfully, the USA has not adopted this as our color, in observance our President, who is oddly and uniquely orange. Completely thankful.

I’m sure the USA Team will come home to many celebrations. They deserve the accolades for their hard work and achievements. And the Dutch team, I’m sure, will return home to welcoming arms as well. And plates of cheese and licorice.

And sometimes, things just seem right with the world.

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Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. — William James

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Believe you can and you’re halfway there. — Theodore Roosevelt

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You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. — C.S. Lewis

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