Forgive the cheesy description, but there is some truth in there. This afternoon saw me in my usual space at the Emirates stadium to watch my beloved, exasperating Arsenal against Manchester United, a game I fully expected us to lose on the form we have shown this season. Instead, we were treated to a real ding-dong, rip roaring match full of excitement and incident. Real end to end stuff indeed.
We were of course triumphant in the end, and I sang my heart out. Well, it's infectious when there are some sixty thousand around you doing the same.
Anyway, my point... Well, the point is when we scored, when they nearly did, when we shouted for a penalty, all these moments, I was totally gripped. To the exclusion of anything else. Even my paralysis. OK, I didn't leap to my feet when we scored, sadly. But thankfully, we have scored enough goals since my injury that I knew that, and I've got used to it. The rush, the leap is all there, but different. And when it comes I am able to enjoy the moment unconditionally.
There are other things that I can enjoy unconditionally: Tennis, tickling our daughter, good food, watching The Wire... But in watching football, I tap into a long standing passion and a ritual that I took part in before my accident. In fact, were it not for my accident and the reduced price of my season ticket, I would not be there at all. Obviously, I am not advocating spinal cord injury as a way of securing a cheap ticket, but it does feel good to have this connection to my 'old life'.
Especially when we win.
We were of course triumphant in the end, and I sang my heart out. Well, it's infectious when there are some sixty thousand around you doing the same.
Anyway, my point... Well, the point is when we scored, when they nearly did, when we shouted for a penalty, all these moments, I was totally gripped. To the exclusion of anything else. Even my paralysis. OK, I didn't leap to my feet when we scored, sadly. But thankfully, we have scored enough goals since my injury that I knew that, and I've got used to it. The rush, the leap is all there, but different. And when it comes I am able to enjoy the moment unconditionally.
There are other things that I can enjoy unconditionally: Tennis, tickling our daughter, good food, watching The Wire... But in watching football, I tap into a long standing passion and a ritual that I took part in before my accident. In fact, were it not for my accident and the reduced price of my season ticket, I would not be there at all. Obviously, I am not advocating spinal cord injury as a way of securing a cheap ticket, but it does feel good to have this connection to my 'old life'.
Especially when we win.
I was also at the game and and I have complaint to make about this blog. I'm a United fan and while I can stomach yet more references to this incredible game (I accept magnanimously Arsenal's slight superiority by the way) what I am infuriated by is the embedded link that takes you straight through to a site about Manchester City Football Club. Surely, we were not that bad?
I thought the embedded link was most amusing! Perhaps it's a sense of humour thing.....
Hi Tim
We have not met, and probably never will, but I just want to say that I spent the weekend reading your book, and it is one of the most inspiring I have ever read. You certainly ARE brave---you could have given up, but you didn't.
You will help a lot of people!
I wish you and your family well.
Helen from Dorset.