Everyone has goals. For the future, for tomorrow, there are things we all want to do to feel fulfilled.
For some, it’s glorious romance to last a lifetime and for others, it’s a hot cup of tea and a good book at
9 p.m.
By the nature of the world we live in, however, there are an incredible amount of obstacles that will get
in the way. They may be physical, emotional or otherwise, but they will inevitably make you question
if you’re doing the right thing.
I recently experienced a situation like this.
I’ve played rugby at Buffalo State for three years. On Sunday, we opened up our fall season at
Geneseo.
The team looked great, I felt great and I was more excited than I’ve ever been for a sports season. As
the 14 of my teammates and I took the field and performed our pre-game chant, I had every intention to
play 80 hard-nosed minutes, leaving that field triumphant and intact.
It didn’t work out that way.
About 3 minutes into the game, I caught my left middle finger on someone else’s body and dislocated
it at the second knuckle, leaving it looking like a right angle. This forced me to leave the field and wait
for emergency services to take me to the hospital.
Most people would probably be concerned with the pain or the gruesome sight but as I stood on the
sidelines, all I could think about was how I would be missing the rest of the game. My teammates
would be out there making plays without me and there was nothing I could do about it.
I wished there was someone who could just pop it back, tape it up and let me get back at it. Though it
would have been painful, I would have taken the risk just to make a few more hits.
That was a beautiful thing to realize.
There have been times in my college career when I’ve gotten so overloaded with classes, the paper and
personal obligations that I considered taking a semester off from rugby. This experience taught me that
if I’m willing to risk a limb for the love of the game, it’s not something I should give up on so easily.
One problem: I still couldn’t play. It was at this point I said to myself, “I’m not going to die, so why
not have some fun with it?”
So I did. I made a lap around the field holding up my hand, making jokes and posing for pictures. It
wasn’t what I wanted to be doing but it was the best I could do with what I had.
The journey to your goals might not involve such morbid display of broken body parts, but they will
nonetheless play a vital role in getting you where you want to be. Obstacles are there to remind you
how much you want something, or help you realize something isn’t worth your time. Embrace them.
As for me, I’ll be back on the field next week. Busted finger and all.
Brian Alexander can be reached by email at alexander.record@live.com.