There is a home in Scottsdale that caught my attention.

It would be hard to miss.

It's on Thomas Road, just east of the 101 freeway.

Someone has a yard full of political signs.

These aren't just any signs.

These are signs dedicated to the second place finishers.

Among them is one that explains it all.

It reads, "Monument to the Unelected."

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It reminds me of a book by Pat Conroy.

He's famous for books such as "The Great Santini", "The Prince of Tides" and "The Lords of Discipline".

The lesser known book is "My Losing Season". It's autobiographical.

In it he recalls being on a basketball team at the Citadel. Though they won a few games, they lost even more.

In sports, we all find out, coming in second can be a lonely experience.

Here's a quote from the book:

"Winning makes you think you'll always get the girl, land the job, deposit the million-dollar check, win the promotion, and grow accustomed to a life of answered prayers. Loss is fiercer, a more uncompromising teacher, coldhearted but clear-eyed in its understanding that life is more dilemma than game and more trial than free pass."

I suppose you could look at most industries and say we're finding fewer winning opportunities.

Now is the time to see life with more clarity. It's a gift.

So... I'm glad there's a person out there who is showing the love to those who came close. They didn't reach the summit... but got close. Very often the journey is better than the destination. For each of these, I hope that has proved to be true.

And for the present and future second place finishers I hope, in this age of character building, we're polishing a few diamonds.

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Chuck Willman is an Arizona based real estate agent. www.AZvest.com

Photo courtesy of my camera phone.