I've had a sporty week.
Well, actually I haven't had a sporty week at all, but my sons have and I've very much enjoyed being a supporter.
Their last games of summer team sport, prize giving presentations and two days of school athletics carnivals. I'm exhausted just from watching.
It got me thinking about the sports I've played throughout life and that I currently am playing no sports. I've walked away from the game.
This walking away from the game can apply to dating, friendships and jobs too.
You don't wake up one day and think “Time to quit this game forever.” I'll never work in that job again.” “I won't have any interactions with this friend ever again.”
Circumstance and life changes seem to push and pull us into and out of games with no real rhyme or reason.
I haven't played squash (similar to raquetball) in three years. I love playing squash. Sprinting around an enclosed court hitting the shit out of a small rubber ball and sweating bullets. It's incredibly fun and fantastic for fitness. My last games were great. Tearing around the court with a steely smile on my face. My shoes were worn out, racquet needed upgrading and the following week I embarked on a five month travel adventure with kids in tow around Western Australia. I got out of the habit and haven't started again since.
Rugby, cricket, touch football are games I'm not currently involved in. I guess I've walked away from it all.
The thing about stepping away from certain pursuits is that you can always make a comeback. You could even use the skills acquired in one area and try your hand at another. Squash skills can be transferred to tennis. Rugby to soccer. Cricket to baseball/softball.
There are some people that never seem to walk away from the game. Guys that have been playing the same sport for decades or in the same job for as long. Nothing sparks them to change course. I think there is something admirable about that.
Seeing my boys succeed in sport and looking back on my own successes, before walking away, I do ponder what the point is in encouraging effort and dedication to a sporting outlet if the endgame is to just stop playing.
The conclusion I've come to is the importance of developing the competitive instinct.
That drive to succeed. The ethos of being a good sport. The never say die, never give up attitude.
These are required qualities to survive in any facet of life.
When shit hits the fan and things implode on you, having a mind toughened from sporting pursuits is an advantage when it comes to getting through emotional turmoil.
I've seen in both my older sons disappointment on their faces in the last week after getting out in cricket and not quite getting the placing they hoped for in a running race. As much as that breaks my heart in the moment and my job is to remind them of a great effort, I'm glad they are disappointed. They want to succeed in the things they put their minds to and I think that is just right. I also hope it helps them throughout life when things get tough. That they have the ability within themselves to get tougher. Harder than life itself. But like the good sports I encourage them to be, they do it with a steely smile on their faces.
I played some cricket this week in a parents vs kids game. The competive instinct kicked in. The skills are still there. I shot some hoops with my son. He handed me my ass, but I got some shots in. The sporting spirit has been stirred. Comebacks thought of and new sporting endeavours to seek.
It's never to late to be whatever you may want to be and achieve what you desire.
Taking a ‘time out’ from aspects of life is okay. What's important is to not give up on playing entirely. Don't become an NPC (non playing character) or just purely a spectator. Play a hand or two.
It's what we are here for.
Isn't it?
I look forward to the one game of footy I play every year to remember one of our club legends who passed a few years back. The guy who used to fill in for any position whether it was filling bottles, coaching or playing. He was in his 60s but age didn’t stop him.