Squirt Hockey as a Metaphor for Life
Nathan is playing Squirt Hockey through the Minneapolis Parks this winter. It is his first time at organized hockey having only previously shot the puck around on family trips to the rink at the park.
Last week, his team (the Lynnhurst Gold team) played their first game against a team from Pearl Park. Nathan's team is a mixture of kids who have never played, some who have played before, and some who are really talented and seemed to have played a lot! The Pearl team seemed to be a stronger, more experienced team, and they really dominated on the ice. There is no official score keeping at the Squirt level, but Nathan and his friend Will assured me that they were trounced.... the final score was either 9 to 2 or 11 to 2, they weren't quite sure.
Nathan had a lot of fun. He made an assist and got to hit the puck with his stick quite a bit, and his friend Will made a goal. But the image that has stayed in my mind is from late in the game, when the "trouncing" was almost official: the coach realized there were only 5 players on the ice, and he skated over to the bench. It was on the far side of the ice from where I was sitting, but you could image that he was asking who wanted to take the 6th spot on the ice. I think all 8 players on the bench raised their sticks and asked to get back into the game.
I have been holding that image in my heart. Little boys and girls, padded and helmeted to protect them while they play, trying a new sport, getting demolished by a team more powerful than they, yet still asking, enthusiastically, to get back into the game. I, too, am playing a new game in my life without Matthew. I have the protection and love of my family and friends, knowledge that he knew he was loved, beautiful memories of his life. Yet I can feel like I am getting trounced in this game. It is still so new and so hard and I don't keep score, but I know I can struggle and not meet my goals. So this past week, as I keep trying to play the game of life, I have held the image of all those sticks in the air as the kids said, "Put me in coach!"
