Since I got here people have talked to me about water volleyball… each ending with an invitation to come and play.

I politely say I will try… the same response I give my kids when I don’t really want to do something… I may have no intension of doing it, but saying no seems rude.

But, just like my kids, they are persistent… I ended up in the pool… and I had a ball.

Sure, it was exercise, but it was just so much fun. Not only because they refuse to have any rules (the same person can, and did, hit it over and over again… just so long as it eventually gets to the other side) but mostly because of their attitude.

The attitude here is contagious. I am extremely competitive, and have to reign myself in when I play games… but over the past weeks I have come to a place where I can just have fun and enjoy the people… something they do here every day.

We played men against the women and the games were close… there was even a little good-natured trash talk, and the woman gleefully cheered for me… when I hit it out of bounds.

In the pool that day was at least one ex-Navy SEAL; a gentleman affectionately referred to as “the monster” because at 6’3” he dominates the net; and a woman who has the beginning of Alzheimer’s and has seen her reflexes and abilities grow stupendously by playing this game. But what really touched me was how proud the rest of the team was of her for the hard work she has put in and the pay-off she received.

Being here is like having your own private rooting section. People here stand behind each other, support each other and encourage each other. There is a part of me that just feels this is the way it was always meant to be.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 24th, 2007 at 5:44 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.