“You used to be…”.
It all happened one Saturday, while playing rugby on the dry grass and under South African sun and with leaves floating in the breeze. That day I’d decided that I would be a hero. In my fantasy, I would gloriously bring the bulky figure to the ground in a tackle worthy of a Springbok, and that in a Rocky IV moment, his body would hit the ground in slow motion with a hard thud. Word would spread of this David vs Goliath deed and that for years to come, I would be remembered by my peers for the tackle made that day. It would be a try saving tackle from a 5-meter penalty, despite the absence of my mouth guard and usual protective headgear. So, when the ref blew his whistle, it was with these false hopes and expectations that I stepped forward. …show more content…
This grass, as I found out that day, is weaker and harsher than average soft green grass, however, the wisps of clouds floating through the sky at high speeds, are never an unwelcome sight when lying on the ground with ringing in your ears.
So that year things changed.
When the doctor spoke to me on Monday, I failed to understand his rationale, “1 week of no school, no tv, and no devices”. To me it felt harsh after all, my headache would pass, and I’d only vomited once after the game. However, as time passed, and I resumed school, it became obvious to me that I hadn’t come out as a winner. Not only could I no longer focus in the high level classes I’d worked hard to get into, but the workload suddenly became unbearable. The biggest hit was taken by physics, equations simply left my mind. A memory I took for granted for years was gone. From then on, I was acquainted to a phrase that would haunt me for the remainder of the year:
“You used to be_______ what
It all happened one Saturday, while playing rugby on the dry grass and under South African sun and with leaves floating in the breeze. That day I’d decided that I would be a hero. In my fantasy, I would gloriously bring the bulky figure to the ground in a tackle worthy of a Springbok, and that in a Rocky IV moment, his body would hit the ground in slow motion with a hard thud. Word would spread of this David vs Goliath deed and that for years to come, I would be remembered by my peers for the tackle made that day. It would be a try saving tackle from a 5-meter penalty, despite the absence of my mouth guard and usual protective headgear. So, when the ref blew his whistle, it was with these false hopes and expectations that I stepped forward. …show more content…
This grass, as I found out that day, is weaker and harsher than average soft green grass, however, the wisps of clouds floating through the sky at high speeds, are never an unwelcome sight when lying on the ground with ringing in your ears.
So that year things changed.
When the doctor spoke to me on Monday, I failed to understand his rationale, “1 week of no school, no tv, and no devices”. To me it felt harsh after all, my headache would pass, and I’d only vomited once after the game. However, as time passed, and I resumed school, it became obvious to me that I hadn’t come out as a winner. Not only could I no longer focus in the high level classes I’d worked hard to get into, but the workload suddenly became unbearable. The biggest hit was taken by physics, equations simply left my mind. A memory I took for granted for years was gone. From then on, I was acquainted to a phrase that would haunt me for the remainder of the year:
“You used to be_______ what