Tiers
There's playing soccer, then there is playing soccer with people you love.
The two are worlds apart.
And then, there is playing soccer with the people you love who play extremely attractive soccer that is exhilarating like no other.
Like it happened today.
And we can go further back to an even simpler form of play: just me messing with a ball all by myself (which can sometimes be more fun than playing a certain kind of soccer with people who kill the joy). Even that is fun: alone, kicking a ball against a wall over and over, or juggling, or dribbling it around, a unique kind of pleasure.
And before the activity can be called a "game": me with just one other friend whose rhythm I like, who I love as a person. I can pass the ball back and forth for hours and enjoy it. Just that.
All of these forms of "play" to me fall into the category of soccer, after all, a ball is present. But the level of reward and satisfaction between playing with random people you don't have a connection with yet and with people who you have grown familiar with and care for (and who you know care for you) are incomparable.
I love the sport and play ridiculous amounts of it a week, but when I play with people who I have built strong connections with I derive a completely different level of joy; I work harder for them, I make sure to not leave them vulnerable, I make sure to get them out of trouble, I do my best to help them achieve success. We could lose games and it is still ok and more rewarding than winning with strangers.
And when beautiful soccer is happening, when everything feels so natural and fluid because you somehow share an understanding of how things should move, the plan, the intention (on top of the care and love), it is bliss and I feel grateful and thank you.
The two are worlds apart.
And then, there is playing soccer with the people you love who play extremely attractive soccer that is exhilarating like no other.
Like it happened today.
And we can go further back to an even simpler form of play: just me messing with a ball all by myself (which can sometimes be more fun than playing a certain kind of soccer with people who kill the joy). Even that is fun: alone, kicking a ball against a wall over and over, or juggling, or dribbling it around, a unique kind of pleasure.
And before the activity can be called a "game": me with just one other friend whose rhythm I like, who I love as a person. I can pass the ball back and forth for hours and enjoy it. Just that.
All of these forms of "play" to me fall into the category of soccer, after all, a ball is present. But the level of reward and satisfaction between playing with random people you don't have a connection with yet and with people who you have grown familiar with and care for (and who you know care for you) are incomparable.
I love the sport and play ridiculous amounts of it a week, but when I play with people who I have built strong connections with I derive a completely different level of joy; I work harder for them, I make sure to not leave them vulnerable, I make sure to get them out of trouble, I do my best to help them achieve success. We could lose games and it is still ok and more rewarding than winning with strangers.
And when beautiful soccer is happening, when everything feels so natural and fluid because you somehow share an understanding of how things should move, the plan, the intention (on top of the care and love), it is bliss and I feel grateful and thank you.
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