The Hardest Thing About Travelling
…and it’s not what you’d expect.
There are a lot of struggles associated with traveling. Especially solo.
Loneliness, anxiousness, and sickness, to name a few. But for me, (the sports-obsessed youngster) something else really does it for me.
It’s the subject of my very first article on this platform…
…Fremantle.
To most of you, that word will mean very little. To some of you, it’ll mean a bit. But to me, it means the world.
The Making Of Me
As an AFL-obsessed youngster, my childhood was defined by the sport.
Through primary school, I modeled my hair on Nat Fyfe. Through high school, I was renowned for my Freo rants. Going to the footy forged my unbreakable relationship with my dad. In truth, every bit of me screams Fremantle.
So for these reasons, it should come as no surprise that it is part of my identity. And I carry it with me wherever I go.
That includes watching the team anywhere, anytime, no excuses.
Remote trips around Australia. Adventures around Europe. I find a way to watch them. Nothing can draw me away from the team I love.
It’s a passion so strong, it’s almost a religion. A 2nd family. Which is why I can’t stand to see them struggle.
I mean who would want to see their family struggle?
They’re my 2nd bloody family after all.
If you’re not a sports fan, you’ll probably think I’m mad. Comparing a sports team to a family. I must be on crack.
But it’s a feeling you can’t describe.
That’s what love is…
…Right?
Sport has the power to define a community. To spark violence. To inspire a nation. You only have to look at the recent FIFA World Cup for proof. But I digress.
What is the point of this article you may ask?
Well, whilst I can do little to turn around the fortunes of my beloved Freo thousands of miles away back home (I’ve spent too much time in the UK that I’ve officially switched to the imperial system), I come bearing a message.
This a message for everyone, whether you watch the sport or not.
The truth is, everyone has something that they love. A sports team, a partner, or a pet.
Your loved ones will struggle from time to time. They’ll have crushing lows. They’ll make you question why you love them in the first place.
But instead of abandoning them, stick by them. Times will change. The sky will clear. The path will open.
Everyone falls. Everything falls. But that’s just part of life.
As a wise, freedom-fighting Nobel Prize Winning icon once said…
“…Don’t judge me by my successes. Just me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
We weren’t made to be perfect creatures all the time. We’re prone to make mistakes. To suffer defeat. To lose somebody we love.
But instead of wasting time living in the past, dwelling on pain and irreversible errors, we need to keep our heads up high and move on forward.
As tough as it is, we need to put that pain behind us. Use that pain as motivation. And do something great.
Let me make myself clear.
I’m not saying that you should shoulder all that pain and store it all within you. That’s unsustainable and prone to trigger mental health-related issues. Pain should always be addressed, discussed and never disregarded.
But if we spend too much time dissecting this pain and living in the past. And we fail to move on with our lives (as hard as it is). We’ll be left behind.
At the end of the day, the world will move on with or without us.
And as a last word…
I know my life will take me away from Freo. I’ll be working away from home. I’ll be absent from more and more Freo games. And it’ll be harder to watch the team.
But I’ll still try. I’ll still watch them. Because love has no boundaries. And while Freo may lose. My unrelenting support of them will remain undefeated.
Love can never be broken.
As for the Other Freo Faithful Out There…
There are still 22 rounds to go!
So for the love of god…
..Please don’t listen to Drake and “turn a O-2 into the O-3, dog.”
