Writer’s Blocks and Ice Blocks: What My Life Might Have Been Without Sports

It has been a while since I posted on Life as a Human. So long that some of my friends and family (and my editor!) had emailed me to ask if I was ever going to post again. My response was that I had lost my focus, that when I sat down to write, I couldn’t get anything down onto paper. Although an argument could have been made that I was suffering from writer’s block, I think it was self pity because I had rolled my ankle playing ice hockey and was told by my doctor to avoid playing sports for four to six weeks.

Since I could not play sports, I had to focus more time on something else. So for the past two months it was not too difficult for me become easily distracted by something I hold very dear to my heart: The Stanley Cup Playoffs!

I write this on the weekend after the Chicago Blackhawks defeated Philadelphia Flyers four games to two to win their first Stanley Cup in 49 years. Now, even though my Oilers were eliminated from playoff contention in early November (I exaggerate, of course; it was more like late December) I still enjoy watching playoff hockey from middle of April until the middle of June. Sure many people will argue that hockey has no business being played after the snow melts and the weather begins to warm up, but I could watch and play hockey all year round!

Many of my friends from Simon Fraser University,  some who have gone on to supplement their degrees with Masters or Doctoral degrees, and some who have gone into medicine or law, claim I could have done any of these things if I had not had the distraction of sports such as football, tennis and hockey.

Comments like the ones above often lead me to imagine what my life would have been like if I had not missed so many study sessions in April and May because I was too concern with the Stanley Cup playoffs. I probably could have taken a summer semester or two to get my GPA up since there was not much to watch. But then I would be too busy playing tennis or baseball.

I just enjoy the intensity of playing and watching sports. Seeing the players make the big plays, score goals and make saves gets me motivated to participate as well. When it comes to sports, I want to be in on the play and in control during the most critical times of the game. It is such a rush to score a late goal to tie the game or prevent an opposing team from scoring when they are using every last ounce of strength getting the tying goal. Sure my studies mattered and I accomplished them to the best of my ability, but I would never trade the work/life balance I have for any other career.

I often kid with my friends and family that if I wasn’t so involved in sport I would probably have a study room instead of a “Man Cave.” And instead of wearing hockey jerseys and eating nacho chips around the house, I would be wearing a sports jacket and smoking a pipe (An old friend of mine has actually made me promise that when my novel is published my publicity photo has include me smoking a pipe, or at least holding one.).

But this is all a pipe dream (pun intended), as you are reading about a person who has used a vacation day for work or skipped classes on every American Thanksgiving for the past 10 years so I can watch all of the football games being played that day!

So the answer I often give to friends is that everyone has his or her own journey and interests and I chose mine with no regrets. I have a great job, a good family and I enjoy my life to the fullest. I guess that’s all that is really important.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I must attend to my PlayStation 3 and finish my Dynasty Season for NHL 10!

Photo Credit

Unique lamp by Harri Koskinen for the Design House Stockholm

Recent Jeff Randhawa Articles:

• Thoughts From the Waiting Room
• Being Socially Awkward in the New Brave World
• The Lay Off
• The Sick Day
• Tera Mera Ki Rishta (What is Our Relationship?)