Sometimes you have to be hurt before you sit on the sidelines.
My outdoor soccer team decided this last summer that we would field a team for the indoor season. We love doing this together and so off we go into a new adventure.
The morning of Game 3 I took an unexpected and tumbling trip down the basement stairs and landed in the emergency room, and left with four staples in my head. I went to the game that night and watched from the bench. I support my team no matter what. Then on my first shift of Game 4 I got tangled with the opposing team’s keeper and hobbled off the field with a sprained ankle.
And so I am wondering what the Universe is telling me. It might be about soccer, or just the phenomenon of noticing when it’s time to take to the sidelines for a bit. A question from a couple of team mates startled me in the middle of Game 3: “are you in agony watching and not playing?” As I reflect on this, I notice that I wasn’t in agony. I didn’t even think of being in agony until it was mentioned. I couldn’t do anything about it, so I just watched and enjoyed my team’s efforts.
I have a feeling that the agony, however, is setting in around this ankle. Not only can I not play soccer for a while, I am required to keep it elevated. I can’t be physically active. I have to sit or lie down. This could well drive me nuts. It is not lost on me that also at risk, if I do not heal well, is skating, cross-country and downhill skiing. I love winter and I consider not being able to do these things agony.
But I am curious about what windows might be opening. One gal on my team has suggested I start doing other things to keep my fitness level up. I could do weights, and she advises that combined with the weight I have lost I could get quite ripped! There might be other physical activities that could serve as cross training for running and soccer, that might even improve my performance. Beyond the physical, I can spend additional time writing and doing things I like around home. I can find a balance of these things. Nothing is lost when I notice that other things are gained – I just have to be open to finding them.
So the conscious choice I make is to be on the sidelines enjoying my team’s games and friendship. The other choice I make is to receive the gift of the sprained ankle. I see opportunities to try new physical activities and reacquaint myself with quiet things to do at home and work. I am curious about other places where I need to step back into the sidelines and let others have a turn.
