The Strangeness

"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."

Decisions are powerful things. Some take so little thought. I mean, I'm pretty sure I only engaged one brain cell when I decided what shirt to wear this morning. Some take up many many brain cells and have far-reaching consequences that were never considered during the initial decision-making process. My decision to switch from the Portland Shockwave to the Portland Fighting Fillies has certainly been one of the many brain-celled moments of my life. It is proving to have been a good decision. I am certainly happier with the new team. My fun meter maxes out at every practice. I'm meeting cool new people that I enjoy playing with.
But, like every decision, there have been consequences. Friendship always seemed a fragile, gossamer, thing to me. It's intricacies seemed to be an enigma wrapped in a mystery wrapped in a puzzle sometimes. I had it wrong. Good friendships are strong and stand the tests of time and change. Life just seems to present you with situations that naturally illuminate your friendships so you know who you can rely on. This change of teams has provided such illumination. My good friends are happy that I'm happy playing a game that makes me happy. They don't care who I'm playing for. And I love them for that.
I will miss the Shockwave. I will miss being at events, anchoring fundraisers, and recruiting anyone that looked like they could play football. It hurts that it seems no one will miss me. I feel expendable. No one reached out and tried to talk me out of it. No one tried to keep me with the Shockwave. No one tried to sway my decision at all. After 8 years of being at just about every damn thing, 8 years of recruiting, practicing, sweating, working to help build the Shockwave, 8 years of playing in hot games and cold games in the trenches alongside other players I trusted, and no one reached out to ask me to stay. So, I'm pretty sure I made the right decision. And I'm glad to accept the consquences of my decisions. (Note:ownership did ask me why I'm leaving).
Thank you, my friends, for your support. I am so thankful for each and every one of you. And new friends, I'm excited to forge strong, lasting bonds.