EN is a sports fan and stuck living with a bunch of girls who really don’t follow any sport (unless you consider figure skating a sport!). He particularly loves hockey and is a die hard fan for the local professional team. I should mention here that I love to give him grief that his team couldn’t skate their way out of a wet paper bag and when they win, I ask if the other team even showed. It’s all in good fun but my ribbing might get me in trouble if they ever make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. I’m not holding my breath though.
He plays hockey twice a week in the “old fat man league.” Both games are affiliated with two specific groups, no leagues, but most of the players are 40+ and some are a little heavier than others. Plus it makes me laugh to say it as they all see themselves as hockey superstars. Around Easter, the Friday night guys, who call themselves Last Call Hockey, paid to play at a local arena where our AHL team plays. As part of the package, they get to play for an hour, then stay to watch the AHL game afterwards. The arena plays music for them, runs the scoreboard and even tapes their game. They had a blast and wanted to do it again in 2011.
EN coordinates all this and set about finding a date. Their game has to tie in with the local team’s game times, so it’s not like there are unlimited times to choose from. For 2011, the only date left was December 31, 2010. Not even 2011! The guys took a vote and they all voted to skate on New Year’s Eve, then stay to watch the semi-pro game. So that’s where we went last night.
The girls and I took our seats right above the locker room entrance so we could see everyone come out. I’m sure not a single player realized he did this, nor would they admit to doing it, but every one of them that brought people to watch them skate stopped as they were coming out of the locker room and looked up to see if their fan club was watching. We were close enough that I could see their faces and I swear more than one looked a little emotional at the prospect of playing in an arena. Seeing those expressions made me catch my breath a little too.
One man in particular that I’ve seen before didn’t have anyone in the audience when the game started. He’s older, probably in his early 50’s, and has wild hair and a crazy mustache, a real tough looking dude. During the game, two guys came walking in, just as tough looking. They scanned the ice and shouted, “Hey Paul!” to get his attention. Paul looked up and saw his two friends and his smile lit up his face, his two pals looked just as joyful and proud. I’m not sure who they were to Paul, but they seemed excited to see their friend playing hockey in an arena. Through their game and for most of the AHL game that followed, the behavior of the players reminded me of a bunch of 10 year old boys who got to compete for a Little League Championship at a world famous ballpark. They were goofy, silly and excited. For an hour of their day, they got to be the stars on ice, their dream was a reality. Watching the guys made this old girl feel a little gooey inside.
The new year is a time for resolutions, many set goals to start on January first, but I’ve never been one to do that. I’ve never liked a resolution for five minutes, let alone an entire year. Maybe it should be more about what dream we will make to come true in the upcoming year… weight loss, an education, a new job, moving to a new home… The old chubbies of Last Call Hockey made one of their dreams come true so it’s my desire to do the same.
2010 was a big “dream come true” year for me as I worked hard through the year to earn my degree. As of December 24, I officially have my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Studies. What’s on the horizon for 2011 then? My dream is to displace about 50 pounds that haunt me and make me cringe when I see myself in a mirror. I’ve posted about this before, but was too busy to do anything about it. So I will say it now, by the time we are ringing in next year, I will be smaller. I see the outfit I want to wear in my head and I can see the size on the tag of the jeans I will be wearing. If I can earn a degree with a GPA thisclose to 3.9, there’s no reason I can’t get down to business and start working on decreasing the size of my fat ass.
I’ve told you, now you tell me… what’s your dream? Where will your ambitions guide you this calendar year? Feel free to comment, no one here knows who you are!
Peace and love to all of you… remember the words of a famous Fairy Godmother, “A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes.”
xoxo
Ice Princess
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