I have been in volleyball gyms a lot lately. The last weekend in March was Big South, our biggest tournament of the season in Atlanta. It is a national qualifier, and our little 850 Elite Volleyball Club went up against the best clubs in the country--and our 17U Blue Sammy team finished 2nd in the Gold Bracket of the USA Division!! For those of you who don’t know anything about Volleyball, this is a huge deal. It’s the highest finish for any 17s team in our region, from Mobile to Panama City, in that division, ever! This past weekend, our 17U Blue Sammy team won the Regional Championships in Mobile. Both of these are huge accomplishments for that team and our club and, but I had to leave early because my body said “Go!”
At Big South I was in a volleyball gym with 1200 teams on 150 courts for two and a half days; imagine the noise. My poor little melon was in a state; I got one migraine every day of the tournament. I wasn’t terribly surprised. What did surprise me is that the migraines continued when I returned home. My body needed more rest, even though my brain told me differently.
Our current Theme at GPS is:
How Will You Let Your Body Love What it Loves?
This comes from a poem by Mary Oliver; the excerpt goes, “You do not have to be good…You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.”
I started living the theme by coming home from our grassroots tournament early. My heart and spirit wanted to stay and empower the girls (and their moms), but the soft animal of my body needed rest. I worked the front desk at the tournament, greeting moms and players as they walk to the door--spreading cheer for all to hear. But instead of staying the whole time and “doing it right“, I turned it over to responsible people and went home to rest my head. I took my animal home to curl up and rest.
This week I’m urging you to treat your body as though it was your most treasured pet, because it is. We wouldn’t make our puppy run when it was winded or sick. And yet we think nothing of pushing our body through household chores, social engagements, or family stuff, even when we are exhausted. We would never force feed a baby animal, yet we cram stuff in our mouth, without a second thought, because we don’t have time to prepare nutritious food.
This is not okay, y’all! We are better than this!
I am taking a stand, and it starts today. I’m listening when my body tells me, “enough”. I’m resting before I think I really need it. And I’m taking my animal out to play, taking a moment to drink in the beauties of nature, walking barefoot in the grass or looking up at the clouds instead of down at my phone.
Want to join me in taking care of your magical creature? Start with defining what you loved to do as a kid: Was it reading under a tree? Playing hopscotch? Taking your dog for a walk? Playing with duckies in the tub? Now take that treat and do it now, as an adult.
How will you love your body this week?
Tell me all about it at terrif@findyourpride.org or just find me at the front desk of Girl Power Station :)
XO
Terri
