Spandex Ballet

Well, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to pull it off, but I played in the adult 4v4 soccer tournament at Soccer Planet in Urbana today! Here's a photo of my team, Spandex Ballet. No, none of us are sporting spandex, but in retrospect we could have gotten some snazzy red spandex body suits. If I'd already lost my hair, I would have looked totally badass out on the pitch!

Spandex Ballet, at the Jingle Balls Adult 4v4 tournament at Soccer Planet

We didn't actually win any games (although I was able to get our team on the scoreboard in one of them), but we had a hell of a lot of fun! Today was one more bitch slap at cancer, among many already, and many more to come. I'm not sure if The Beckham Wannabes or Flop of Ages won the tourney in the end, but no matter. I am very appreciative to all of those who came out to play, both on my team, and on the other teams.I owe a special thanks to Graham Berry and Ryan Cronin at Soccer Planet who helped make this happen. I really wanted to play, and they rallied several other players from the over 30 and over 40 crowds to join teams so that the Old Folks' division of the adult 4v4 could happen.

I find that it's not only the everyday things that help (like my mom doing my laundry, Kathy and Zanne coming to chemo, cards from friends and family, Tamra knitting me a hat, chatting with Betsy on the phone, Craig staying late at Evan's soccer tournament so I could go to bed, Patricia making Christmas breakfast.... The list goes on and on and on). It's also having events like this with people I know and love, and even others who I only vaguely know, coming together to just have fun and do normal things. Okay, I know what you're probably thinking. You're thinking, "Really? It's normal for a bunch of 30- and 40-, and a few 50- somethings to play in a soccer tournament with team names like Flop of Ages and Spandex Ballet?" This make surprise you, but yes. Yes, that feels totally and completely, and joyously normal.