Play Free

Do you ever, sometimes, forget who you are?

Do you ever get caught up in striving and creating and trying to BE something... and forget to just BE you?

When that happens, where do you go? Where do you go to remind yourself of who you are, where you came from, and what you stand for? What’s home base for you?

Because in true athlete fashion, while busy striving and working and creating and trying to BE something… it’s become clear to me that sometimes we forget.

I used to do this on the field— try to force hits, the perfect swing, throw, pitch... you name it. It’s the death-grip of control that we default to in order to make life certain again. In order to define ourselves. And it makes me smile because it never changes. The game. Because we never change. Underneath our jerseys, we’re human. And whether we play on a team, wear a jersey, or not… that’s a role & position we will forever be playing. Human. So we just learn who we are and learn how to adjust.

When I played, we called the opposite of striving, trying, & forcing… playing free.

Those 2 words were the very thing we’d wake up to bust our ass for on the field every. day. 
It’s how we defined winning. 

When we had fully & wholly seized a moment.
Void of thought. Completely immersed and lost in the dance of it.
It was where appreciation for opportunity led the way, and gratitude would reign.
Where death grips would loosen just enough, for joy to seep in. And take over.

But in order to win, we’d have to put in the work.
We’d start each day by honestly checking in with ourselves on how we were doing, let our teammates in by sharing it, allow them to stand by our side through vulnerability and celebration, declare an affirmation of possibility for the day “I am Free/Strong/Possible/Present”… seal it with a hands-in “break”…
And then we’d play.

And whatever happened next, happened next. It may have been a day of teamwork, magic and triumph... and it may have been a day we ended up on the track.
Tired. Beat down. Uncomfortable. Confused... Exhausted.
But either way, it was exactly what was supposed to happen.
And all that mattered is that we’d continue to do the work.
That we’d show up the next day, and play again.
That we’d continue to be open, and willing to share.
That we surrendered to being loved.
That we loved others.

That we appreciated and acknowledged blessed moments...
and that we whole-heartedly committed... to what was possible.

Sometimes we forget who we are because life isn’t always perfection and clarity.
It’s actually rarely that.
When we wind up on the track more days than not... it’s pretty easy to begin to question what the hell we’re doing here. To start to question the game. And question it’s purpose.
And when that happens-- all we’re left with is our commitment.
All we’re left with is the possibility of what could be.
And our determination to get there.

Sometimes we forget that life doesn’t expect us to play perfect, or ask us to have it all figured out. It just simply asks that we show up and play.
And if we’re interested in winning... maybe, just for a moment, dare to let go- enjoy it- and Play Free.