New Zealand has just beaten Australia — 2 matches to 1 — in a qualifying series for the basketball world championships in Indianapolis next year. To put this in perspective. This is the first time ever New Zealand have won a series against Australia. The win on Friday night (the game I went to) was only the second time ever New Zealand had beaten Australia in a basketball match, and the first time was 23 years ago! Australia are ranked about 4th in the world.
The game on Friday was riveting and emotional. A sell-out crowd were on their feet at the end, urging New Zealand on to win. Categorically, it's the best game I've seen — because of what it meant. It's been a while since sport outside of my own has moved me this much.
I've been in bed most of the weekend, tucked under covers, propped against pillows, venturing out only for necessities like food, drink, toilet and watching basketball on tv. All week I'd been fighting a cold off, and thought I'd beaten it, but Friday afternoon I just felt worse and worse. By the end of the day, it was all I could do to sit upright in my chair. I had front row tickets to a basketball test match that night, so I did go to that with some friends, but by the time I got home, and Saturday and today, I've been feeling pretty awful.
Deb's been wonderful, looking after me hand and foot when she is still not feeling the best either. I'll be going to the Dr's tomorrow. I really need some time off to recover physically and emotionally. Just some time to heal myself. To get well again.
We've been talking a lot over the past few days, the past few weeks, about the sort of life we want to be living. And it's not what we're currently living. For much of the past year and a bit I've been effectively trying to work two jobs. It's worked for a while, and at times I've amazed myself with what I have been able to do. But it's absolutely caught up with me these past 2/3 months. I've been burnt-out of work. Sometimes it's been too much to even sit down and think about what I need to do next. I've been stressed and exhausted and my health has, obviously, suffered of late. And I've done things I shouldn't have — which is why I'm, finally, seeing a psychologist.
There's a limit to how much work is worth it, to how much money is worth chasing, to how much simplistic pleasure is sustaining. I'm past those limits. I need some simple things for a while. I need time and space and silence. I need long lingering afternoons in the sun, and meals savoured with good company and a glass of red wine. I'm taking steps to get there.
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Australian basketball at the World Champs
Read it and weep Aussies! :)
If you look quickly, before they change the page, you'll see a ? beside 2002. It should, of course, now be a “Did Not Compete”
Journals and blogs that I read regularly
Raising Hell
Feral Living
Hippycritical
Udder
My Life in 12 Point Font
Journal of a Writing Man
Some Jingle Jangle Morning
The Last Girl Scout
Potatoe.com
Journallife.com
Window to my Soul
Chickybabe
Sorabji.com
Yesterday's Makeup
Fifteen Milliliters
Fly Away
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Registered!
The Ageless Project
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Blogging Mommies
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Photo of tunnel copyright Bernd Klumpp, available from istockphoto.com