Wonder Woman was the coolest. All she had to do was twirl around and she would appear with fabulous clothes, a golden lasso, shield bracelets and a boomerang headband. Wow. And was a giant. She could kick any man's trash. I'm not what you would consider tall and was nothing but knees and elbows until I got into high school. My first year trying out for a competition soccer team I was told I was too small to ever play competition ball. Luckily, the assistant coach could choose the last 5 players on the team (and he was my dad). So all I wanted to be was tall. I envied Amazons. That's probably why I loved Wonder Woman. She was the poster child for Amazons, literally. She was beautiful and when she visited her Amazon sisters on Paradise Island, I imagined being just like them--tall, strong, and didn't need a man, just wanted to toy with them a bit.
Funny thing is, I came to not like "Amazons" on the soccer field. **DISCLAIMER**I am sorry if I offend anyone that is taller than 5' 6'' and is more muscular than I. Characters in this blog do not represent any one specific female in any aspect of my life.** I changed my perception of what an Amazon was in soccer, she was taller and stronger than I was. And if I got to the ball first, all she had to do was bump me and I would fly. So because I hated what happened to me when I played against "Amazons", I directed my dislike towards the ladies playing the game, rather than my own small physique.
Seriously, picture Wonder Woman playing soccer. Now, we know she had incredible speed, too, so she could probably get to the ball quicker than anyone else. However, we also know that she would throw people through the air without a second thought if they were in her way. I would have hated playing against her. I still don't like playing against "Amazons" even now. But if a woman nails me to the wall, or elbows me in the face, I tend to get a little upset. And just like the little tattle-tale that I am, I immediately petition the refs for some help. They, of course, see the plays differently than I do. It must just be that I am too small, so instead of the elbow going into my side, it goes into my face; therefore, I am just too short so there is no foul. Or the fact that I may not have as much mass behind me, I go flying through the air when I am "lightly" bumped; therefore, it is my fault that I am too small and, thus, no foul. So then I choose to take it upon myself to "show" the ref how cheap these ladies are playing and start playing for fouls rather than playing soccer. I'll show them how Wonder Woman has no right to be playing soccer if she is going to be throwing me around, right?! Yep, those are the games that I hate. I am not playing soccer, I am just tyring to prove something. That is never fun. I match whatever perceived energy or attitude that is on the field rather than playing my game.
I so do that in life, too. You want war? I'm your huckleberry. You want to blame me for your situation? I rock at that game. You want to justify why you were right in what you did? Game on. There are times that instead of just playing my game, I play the player instead of the ball. I react to whomever is around me instead of being clear and choosing how I want to be or what I want to do. It is so easy to get hurt and then inflict pain right back. But I am never happy when I am playing that way. Tonight, I played soccer that way and hated every minute of it. Then went and relived every moment to see how the other player was wrong every time. I catch myself doing that with my husband, too. I feel like I have to match his intensity with my own, instead of taking information and using it to get what I want. I don't have to take someone else's energy as my own and throw it back. I can keep my own attitude. I am not a vengeful person, unless I lose my sense of who I am. I am actually a patient, funloving, and compassionate person. And a bit quirky (that's the fun part). If I just play my game and not worry about how the other people are playing, I will still love life and still have tons of opportunity to get what I want in every moment. Watch out Wonder Woman, I got game...
ANECDOTE OF THE DAY: My youngest daughter (who just turned six) went up to my mom and said, "Grammy, I used to not like you very much. But now I am used to you and I love you now. We're best pals." She just plays her game and doesn't worry about how the other person is playing.
SOCCER QUOTE OF THE DAY: "True champions aren't always the ones that win, they're the ones with the most guts." -- Mia Hamm
No comments:
Post a Comment