I’ve begun to feel a bit worn-out lately, and I’ve begun to wonder whether I’ve taken on more than I can handle.
My close friends will probably answer with a resounding “yes!” but I wanted to put the question out to all of you. First, I’ll explain what a typical week, ranging from Monday to Sunday, is like for me (I’ll use this week, because it’s fresh in my mind, obviously).
This Monday I worked from 8:30-5 at the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, finished the stats for the Sudbury Ball Hockey League (sudburyballhockey.wordpress.com), went out for a coffee and long talk with a good friend, met up with some friends for pool, and then had a great few-hours-long conversation with Chris Auger.
On Tuesday I worked 8:30-5, went to a staff dinner which lasted until about 8, then met up briefly with a friend to donate a pledge for her walk.
Wednesday I worked 8:30-5, and then assistant coached my u-11 team’s soccer game.
Thursday I worked 8:30-5, met with the head coach of the u-11 team (Jamil Malakieh) to get the team’s practice equipment, watched most of a SRCSL u-15 soccer game, and played a soccer scrimmage with my men’s team.
Friday I will be working 8:30-4:30, also 5-8, signing a new player for the u-11 team, and helping some of my friends register for Laurentian University courses (Hi Brendan and MJ!).
Saturday I work 10-5,
Sunday I coach the u-11 team from 1 until 3, convene/score-keep for the SBHL from 3-7:30 (and hopefully play a game while I’m there for once), and probably work on some stats for the league when I get home.
It’s impossible to write down all the little errands (such as signing players, organizing practice, tallying stats, emailing people, etc) that I can think of for the week, but they add up to be fairly time-consuming.
I tried to stay in behind-the-scenes, minimal-amount-of-work roles lately, but they seem to keep developing into more. I wanted to make a website for the SBHL, now I’m basically the vice-president (thankfully Brandon is a great President, and is doing a lot of work! [more than I am]). I have refereed games, time-kept games, and convened for the league when I wasn’t in one of those roles. I wanted to just be a player for soccer this summer, now I’m assistant coach and organizing our team’s only tournament of the summer. I wanted to help the u-11 team practice occasionally, and now I’m with them all the time, and will be head coach for the next week or so.
So that’s my life ladies and gentlemen, What do you think?
Last night at the scrimmage, while explaining how the linesman of the u-15 game was also the President of the SRCSL (Mr. Tony Nuziale), I was asked an interesting question. A teammate said, “you’re involved in a lot, why do you bother?” I explained that I liked giving back to the community, without trying to make him feel bad because he wasn’t (at least not in terms of volunteering). The answer didn’t resonate with me like it usually did. Usually when I’m asked about my volunteerism, I feel a great sense of pride in my response, but this time felt different.
I’ve heard a lot of reasons for volunteering, and felt a lot of different ones myself. They range from the typical ‘giving back to the community,’ helping one’s kids, padding a resumé, trying to win scholarships/awards, the sense of satisfaction it brings, boredom, and even the hope that it will eventually result in some form of monetary gain.
My reasons tend to border more on the selfless than the selfish, though I won’t deny there’s always a bit of both present I think.
Last night at the scrimmage I didn’t feel right. I was worn out for it; my body was killing me, my mind wasn’t focused. These days happen for all athletes, but they happen for me more often these days. To be honest, I haven’t had the pre-season performance I’ve wanted to. Last night was the warning sign that I’m beginning to break down a little, and maybe I have taken on too much.
As it goes with most important things on one’s life, my mother pointed it out to me. I was eating after the scrimmage, and watching the news with her. “You’re doing too much,” she said. “I know, but nobody else will do these things if I don’t,” I replied.
Is that a good enough reason to burn myself out? Please leave a comment and let me know what you think, I’m anxious to hear what you all have to say.