6 months, 20 days and probably a couple of hours. That is the amount of time I have not touched a ball.

The last time I stepped on the field we were tied against Seward in the final few minutes of the game and I was playing like never before. I had finally adapted to everything new that Garden City had introduced me to so far and it seemed like it could only get better. I guess it was not meant to be. 

Getting injured is one of the worst things that can happen to an athlete; you are in pain, you can’t train…. Everything stops. For those of us who are far away from home, it is really tough not having the people we love close to us in a difficult moment. We have little more than our head and a clock that marks the time we need to reverse what prevents us from enjoying our sport. Wrong. It is true that there are few things worse than being forced to leave what we do best for an uncertain time but when one door closes another opens. 

The first obstacle that appears is frustration. If you are part of a team, you are the only one who stops, everything else follows. Personally, I do not think I have ever felt more helpless than when I have been sitting there watching my teammates give their all on the field with the score against us and not being able to do anything to help. 

Next, patience begins to discover its limit. Staying motivated is no longer so easy and seeing yourself playing again is only a dream that seems impossible to achieve while awake. 

In the worst case, the pain may still be there after a few months and avoiding negative thoughts becomes a difficult task on a daily basis. In all of this, people keep telling you to just listen to your body and find the strength to trust that the rehabilitation will bear fruit. 

I think it is a mistake to hold on to these thoughts. The most important thing an injury gives you is time for yourself, you decide what you want to do with it. I favor distraction, finding other things that I love to keep my head out of the situation is beneficial for me. If that does not help, just know that everything bad has an end and after the storm always comes the calm.