Breezy Days: Arena Football

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November 6, 2011

Arena Football

First things first. Ryan loves football. It's not just a kinda sorta maybe a little bit love-ish thing. It's a full on passion. And he won't ever say it, but I will. He is an absolute stud on the field. Communicating with teammates, getting his head into the game, and full on throttling the other team. So tonight was his first game on this Arena Football Team with our friend Beard {first name Braxton}. 
{Beard & Ryan pre-game}

Getting ready at the apartment before the game they were jumping around the apartment and stoked that they got to be on a team again and play to their hearts content. They were so excited that they didn't care about a 10:45PM game. Yes, at night. And the drive was an hour away.
{Their bamf pics}

We get to the game and it was a completely different world. Everyone was HUGE and Polynesian or African-American. Holy moly we didn't fit in. Ryan and Beard are pretty big/buff guys, so when they look tiny next to other guys? You know it's bad.
{Ryan is #74 with the red sleeves. He is a pretty broad guy, but compared to the rest of the team he looks tiny! It was so weird!!}

The game starts, I see all the seasoned Arena football players gathered in the box, pumping each other up and talking about the game. I'm excited and anxious to see my husby attack people with his superior football skills. Then him and Beard don't play the first quarter...or the second..oh wait! 20 seconds in the game then out...nope not the 3rd or 4th quarter. By half time I was infuriated and upset and about ready to stomp over to the coach and demand he gets put in. Then I realized...holy crap I'm acting like a mother.

A mother who sees her kid so excited to go out and play ball with friends, she signs him up on a good team, and goes to the game ready to support him. Only to see her son..sitting on the sidelines, clapping for all the achievements of his teammates, and not being played. {Totally not inferring my husby is a kid,  just making the connection to something I've seen my whole life}.

I waited patiently till the end of the game and asked:
"Sooo, why didn't you guys get to play? Was it the coaches decision?" {Cause if it was I was gonna punch him}
And they explained that at first they didn't even really know what the protocol was and the exact rules, so they decided to take this game to just get comfortable with the rules. I was soon relieved with this explanation. So in the end, everything was ok, the boys were fine with it and ready to get some grub! But I really couldn't get the initial feelings off my mind...

It was completely foreign to me, but I'm sure all the moms reading this know exactly what I am talking about. The feelings of helplessness, confusion, frustration, and sadness for a loved one, kind of like when a child doesn't get picked for the team or asked to hang out. It's heartbreaking. What do you do in those situations? How can you console and still uplift that person after a small letdown {in the scheme of things} like that? 

The answer that I came up with, is: to make your home a place of refuge&comfort. You know the phrase "Home is Where the Heart Is"? My definition of 'home' is a mother, a father, a sibling, a wife, or husband. Being supportive and knowing that all you can do is be a safety net for those you love, because in life there are letdowns you can't protect them from. I may be rambling, but it's something to think about, right?
{The husby showin' off his swagga in his uniform}

<3 Bri 

1 comment:

Typical LDS girl said...

HAHA I love your analogy to you being like a mom. Looks like you're ready! :)