The Smell of Sweat and Grass

This week I was invited by my old quarterbacks coach from Western Oregon University to come out to the campus and help out with a high school team camp the past two mornings. It had been awhile since I’d been back out to see the coaches and the field where so many memories were, so I thought it’d be a great chance to catch up and get in touch with coaches and players again. So the past few days, I’ve spent the mornings coaching freshmen and sophomore quarterbacks through basic drills out at WOU.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, not only because it was a chance to finally, for once, be the coach and tell others what to do, but because being back around football got me back in touch with something that will always be a big part of my life. As I walked around on the field, the smell of sweat and grass brought back great memories and refreshed me quite a bit. While I’m not sure how much help I actually was to the young quarterbacks, I realized how much in love with the game of football I still am. Football is a physical and powerful sport, yet it requires such intricate technique and training. And as I led the quarterbacks through drills and helped them with their technique and throwing motions, I realized how much I love football.

Sometimes, we can lose touch with things that have been a major part of our lives. Whether it be that we’re too busy, doing other things or not wanting the nostalgia or emotions to arise, we sometimes let things that were once important to us slip away. I believe, however, that while our lives might change over time, hopefullly we can still hold onto the things that have been meaningful to us in our lives. So over the next few weeks, whatever it might be for you, try to reconnect to something that you might have lost, and hopefully you’ll experience the same refreshment and peace that I have the last few days.