“When we play, we sense no limitations. In fact, when we are playing, we are usually unaware of ourselves. Self-observation goes out the window. We forget all those past lessons of life, forget our potential foolishness, forget ourselves. We immerse ourselves in the act of play. And we become free.” Lenore Terr, Beyond Love and Work

As soon as I read this quote I didn’t even want to read another quote because I can directly relate to it. Whenever I am playing hockey, it is like a getaway from life. I completely forget about what’s going on in my life: whether it is homework I have to complete, what I’m going to do next weekend, or family and friend related issues. As soon as my laces are tied up, nothing else matters, other than the guys that are wearing the same jersey as me. During the game, guys will do whatever it takes to win: play through injuries and pain, push their body to the limit, and block shots to sacrifice their body for the team to stop a potential goal.

We are able to put all of our pain and issues aside because we are so into the game, and we know that one little mental breakdown could be a deciding factor. I have had shoulder problems almost my whole hockey career; I remember one season I used to dislocate my shoulder every other week but I could not let it affect my play. I wanted to play so badly that I would avoid seeing or lie to doctors because I didn’t want to know the truth. I would block out the pain in order to play, but while I was playing it never seemed to bother me until it would pop out; then I would just pop it back in and keep playing and deal with the pain later. For me, when I am playing hockey, I do become free. It could be just a recreational men’s league game, on a pond, practice, or a championship game: it is the love for the game that makes it such a getaway and lets me forget about everything else.