The Bigger Picture

Shades of black, blue, and grey litter the night sky as we prepare for bed.  The meager five hours of darkness that played havoc on us the first couple of nights have become commonplace, and we find it easier to sleep through the early morning light.  Tomorrow, though, we’ll have to force ourselves out of bed at 8am for an 1130am kickoff.  It’s been a difficult trip thus far, and our fifth game in eight days will apparently continue the trend.  Yet despite these difficulties, we have been able to come together and overcome whatever challenges we’ve faced.  Whether it’s tired legs from a 4,000 mile trip, nights with four hours of sleep, injuries, or an absentee coach (kidney stone), our group of individuals is transforming into a team of men.

I’ve been sidelined for most of the games due to an injury I sustained several weeks ago.  I am itching to play.  Not a day passes that I don’t wonder why this happened.  It’s been so frustrating, but the pain of not playing is eased by those around me.  I feel a genuine concern about my well-being, and it’s amazing to think that I’ve only known most of these guys a couple of weeks.  This is the difference between our team and so many others I’ve been a part of: everyone cares about everyone else.  We have learned to work together on and off the field, and instead of following the selfish trend our society dictates, we place others’ needs ahead of our own.

We have to work together, especially with such a strenuous schedule.  We have to trust one another, rely on one another, and work together to be successful.  And at this point in our trip, we have been successful.  For we are not only proving to be a worthy opponent on the field, we are cultivating individuals that will benefit society as a whole.  The lessons learned on this trip reach farther than the soccer field.  They translate to any avenue of life, and I am blessed and honored to be part of such a group.  I don’t know how the rest of our trip will go, but I am confident that we have what it takes to prove that Bridges F.C. is a group of solid men.

Though I may not have touched on much of what has happened daily, I feel that it is important to understand what is happening in the hearts and lives of the guys on the team.  It has been an incredible experience, for life and for football, and I hope that you understand a little better the dynamics of our group.  We know that soccer is just a game, the beautiful game mind you, but a game nonetheless.  But soccer can also be used as a tool to shift and shape individuals into men.  So, though it pains me not to be on the field with the team, I am proud to stand with these men through something greater: life.