This kind of day...

When you grow up with parents as teachers, this kind of day really bothers you. Why am I working inside? Heather and I obviously had school, but in the early summer a beautiful sunny 70-85 degree day was freedom for our family to take off. Heather and I always had sports, but as I grew up, we discovered some of the best fun we could have was unorganized. Today would have been a great day for that. On the last day of school, my freshman year, a few days after Heather's senior graduation, she picked me up from school, and the typical carload of all of my too-young-to drive buddies jumped in Heather's car. We headed to the soccer field for a pickup game. Some of my greatest soccer memories weren't of playing in games, but just playing. On average 20-30 kids would show up, pick sides and play.
I had played baseball that spring, I wasn't great, in fact I got cut the following year, but I played hard, and the coaches made the other players know it. One in particular chose to ride my ass throughout the season, I was the butt of everyone of his jokes. But on this particular day, he was playing soccer, my sport. I got the best of him several times. Finally he was frustrated enough to come at me cleats up. I tackled his ass. As we were rolling on the ground and fists began to fly I found myself in the bottom of the pile. I swung hard and connected with his Adam's apple. He'd popped my jaw a couple of times, but this blow seemed to even the score. As his head flew back, I saw Heather, she was screaming at me to stop, at him to stop. Of course every guy would have let it go on until we were done, but the next thing I knew I was being pulled away from my only fist fight in life by my sister. I was a bit embarrassed to say the least.
She was so mad at me, wanting to keep the peace among everyone. On the drive home we didn't talk, (that I remember) and she tattled on me as soon as we walked in the house. My mother asked if I was alright then, "Did you win?" Heather was appalled. I had somehow disgraced our family by loosing my cool, or maybe looking for revenge. She played sports aggressively, never backed down, but for her competition never turned to anger. It simply ended when the game ended.
Today, my wife, Christa, who is extremely competitive, often asks me, "How do you just leave it on the field?" I guess it is a life lesson I learned from Heather. Anger happens to us all, I'm pretty freaking angry that I have a reason to write on this blog, but Heather would have just smiled, shook our hands, and told us all, "Good game."

Skylor