CommUNITY

I cannot believe I am admitting this. I never thought I would say such a thing but here I go. I miss Kentucky basketball. The day they played their first game of the season my Facebook and Twitter were full of C-A-T-S cheers and #weareUK hashtags. Anyone that knows me, knows I could really care less about a sport, especially basketball. (There are some moments I actually enjoy watching football... or volleyball, now that I think about it, but for the most part...) I really believed I had better things to do than watch TV for a couple hours.  I think that always came across in a way I never intended it to. However, I did always care about the people playing, the people watching, and the community they create together. There is just something so special about “having a team.” Following their ups and downs and being invested. Teams create identities – just ask anyone who calls themselves a member of Big Blue Nation. There is an interconnectedness strangers share when they cheer for the same team. As this season started I realized how I don’t belong in this BBN community anymore. The people who connected me and who I shared in their joy and excitement with are no longer a part of my personal system. I don’t have enough drive to bleed blue on my own. It was the connection I shared with others that made the experience so special and meaningful. Yes, I’ll wear my University of Kentucky hoodie and be so excited when someone in VA honks at me and waves because of my UK car decal but I really know now, I don’t belong to that system of Big Blue love. Maybe it’s the phenomenon that because I don’t have the opportunity to watch the games anymore, cook up snacks, check in to ask the score, etc. that I miss it – because I can’t have it. Regardless, I’m jealous of the people who’s team gives them a spirit, love, and identity that I will never have on my own.

Kentucky is far away and as much as I will always call it home I do have a community here in Virginia that I am a part of which, frankly, I think others should have feelings of jealousy about. I have the most incredible support system I could have ever dreamed of in my CSPA cohort. They are my home away from home. My JMU family. Moving to Virginia and pursuing this career field that I adore has been one of the best decisions of my life and I really credit that to the connections and relationships I have built here. We can understand each other in a way that no one else can and that is special. We celebrated a Thanksgiving dinner together with the first year cohort this weekend and I took a moment to let it sink in how lucky I am. I might not have stores dedicated to paraphernalia of our identity but I have inside jokes, shared experiences, challenges, life stories, and closeness with these people that no amount of t-shirts could make up for. In the game of life I really care about the people who are playing on the same team as me and the people at home who are watching and the combined community that I am so thankful to be a member of. So no, I don’t have a team that I watch on TV that gives me passion for a sport or a color, but every day I wake up and get the maximum amount of playing time possible by being engaged in my life. Some days I lose and some days I win. Today is a winning kind of day!

Although, I still can’t believe I wrote a sports inspired blog!