Bench

Someone very smart once said that a lifetime of being a rock ..would make you an island.

That notwithstanding - you dont always get to play in the big game.

Sometimes you are on the court and sometimes you are on the bench.

And when you are on the bench - as much as you'd like to fly through air, as much

as you'd like to get applauded and as much as you'd ike to be a part of the action ... you are still

very much on the bench. Waiting.

And it sucks not to be the first one to screech rubber on wood.

To be on the sidelines, while the world cheers and life goes on ..the noise of the claps and laughter drowning the screams inside your head.

But slowly - you start observing things that you would never have from center court. About yourself..about your team ..about your coach and how everything comes together and falls apart....
Anyone who has played any team sport will tell you .. that in the grand scheme of things .. its not about whether you got picked first or last. Its not about how long you stayed on the bench waiting before your name was called.
It's about what you do in the 15 seconds of play when life does give you a chance.
So while you are waiting on the bench .. for that life changing call .. think about it.
About how much it hurts at the moment and how there are exactly 5 steps between you and the white lines. And how you would do anything to make that short walk.
So that when you get your half a minute's worth of play .. you make sure that it was worth it.
Amen.