Remembering the Times

Goooooooaaaaaaalllllll!!!

All everyone ever remembers is who scored the winning goal. The play that was being made. Or the moves of the strikers to get around the defender. So who remembers me?

I am a defender. I live and breathe to take that glorious moment away from all those who dare to get past me. You may have speed and you may have height but know that you are not getting past me this time for I have experience. I have trained harder than any other defender. I have worked my way up the ladder to earn my respect and have my name known. I will be remembered. But how will I be remembered? I do not score goals. I don't always have the opportunity to make amazing leaps to save the goal. I don't do any fancy moves in the back. There aren't many plays where I am involved in. So how will I be remembered? Am I a bad person for taking away someone's glory? Am I a bad person for being an obstacle?

I want to be remembered and the only people who normally remember me is my team. They give me the satisfaction of being remembered. They strengthen my pride when they praise me for stopping that break away. They boost me up when I make a strong tackle or an amazing cross. They respect me on and off the field because they know the type of person I am. We've grown together. We've fought together. We've won and we've lost together. They trust me to do my part as much as I trust them to do their part. No one gets forgotten. Even though the world knows the person who scores the goals, that person remembers the team that helped them get that goal.

I haven't touched a ball in 4 years now. Life has caught up to me and the dream of playing forever has been shattered after my last injury. Your IT Bands are something everyone has to take care of. Surgery was the next option if they tore. The fear of not walking, running, being able to kick a ball properly, or being remembered as the player that lost everything was something I wasn't willing to give up. I didn't want to be remembered as the kid who tore his IT Bands and never came back. So instead, I decided to put my cleats to rest.

Little did I know that I would find a new passion and a greater appreciation for my time playing soccer. Since we all understand the game, the speed of which the game is played involves a series of sprints, physical contact, and a lot of yelling. Since I was so familiar with this type of sport, every other sport seemed to go so much smoother. After a year of retiring my cleats I immediately picked them back up for another sport. Needless to say, even though I will not be remembered as a center back in soccer, I will remember that kid who gave it his all to take away someone else's glory. I will remember the coach, the parents, and the teammates who praised me for the work I put in and the decisions that I made. I will remember getting up every time that I was pushed down and adding that to my fuel to continue playing the entire 90 min.

So who will remember me? Isn't it obvious? Unless you're the number one person in the entire world with a long lasting world record, you won't be remembered. Take pride in what you have accomplished. Know your worth. You don't need to be remembered by others but just be content with your own memories.