What is most important to you in life? Think about it for a minute. Have a picture in your head? Now, could you put a price on it? Is it a moment in time? Is it a memory? Maybe it's something you could hold in the palm of your hand, like a ring. Maybe it's a person, or an animal. A lot of things in my life are important enough worth mentioning, but there are a few things that are unique in my head. My excitement is becoming really unbearable. In an effort to release some of my nervous energy, my fingers drum impatiently against the handle on the door. The Camry carries us down the long stretch of yellow plains. The barns pass, blurs in my peripheral vision. I'm not looking at anything right now. I see the windshield, my sock feet, and my bag on the floor, but I don't see these things. I hear the sound of tires on pavement, but I don't hear that either. I do hear the loud bass blasting through my ear buds, and the White Stripes screaming at me behind a commanding, harsh beat. What I really see is the arena, the practice area, and my teammates. I see the bleachers, and I see the snack bar. I envision the 'arcade' and the bench. Then, I see the actual game. I see myself and my teammates flying by the competition, passing, shooting, and trapping like pros. I see the scoreboard, saying 5 - 0, and I hear the buzzer. We've won the game before it has even started. The water under the bridge and the setting sun, blazing orange, bring me back to reality. I unzip my bag in a flurry, the arena quickly coming into view. My last knot on my cleats is tied by the time my mom pulls up to the door. I grab my bag and my water and fling open the door. I close it just in time for my mom to finish a 'good luck' before I run to the entrance. It's brisk outside, late November, and it's already nearing sunset. Not that you can tell inside the arena, the fluorescent lights don't show time. Inside, I smile as I see my teammates, watching the game before ours through narrowed eyes. I join them, and we chat excitedly about our season. The coca cola clock mounted high up on the cement wall tells me we still have 20 minutes to wait before we start. I sigh, my insides doing back flips. I've gone through this a million times before, but it's always the same. I hate, and love, the beginning of indoor soccer games. I walk down the hill tentatively; it's stupid for me to walk down here barefoot. However, it's summer, and I don't really care about being rational or thinking conservatively. If I want to walk around barefoot, I won't be the one to stop me! I pick carefully about the fallen logs and questionable items on the ground, the last thing I want on the soles of my feet are disgusting spiders. Satisfied with walking around for a while, I amble back onto the lawn and lay down in the long, green grass. My headphones snake up from my fist to my ears. I listen mindlessly as I take in the scene around me. Some birds in the oaks above follow each other, twittering loudly. Feet away, a squirrel gives me a once over before bounding up the nearest tree trunk, insulted and annoyed. My ipod accentuates this already pristine summer scene. It's as green as the grass I'm laying in and tough as nails. I've dropped it countless times, and it's still here, a reminder of what I like best. If you looked at my ipod, you might be a little confused. My music taste is as varied as the rainbow. alternative, indie, electronica, rap, pop, whatever. I probably listen to bands from most genres you could name. I received it for Christmas two years ago, and it's with me almost anywhere. Any car ride is an excuse to listen to the Shiny Toy Guns or Dashboard Confessional. However, if I'm headed in the direction of a soccer game or practice, it's probably rap. Whatever I'm listening to, I couldn't without my beloved ipod! My ipod and my pre-game memories are both really important to me. Soccer is really important to me because it is my favorite sport. It's all I play, and I place a lot of focus on it in my life. when I have a game, the moments before it are some of the most important, and I almost feel like it affects how I will perform in the actual game. My ipod is also very important to me. It holds all of my music, which is what inspires me, makes me happy, and most of the time, saves me from boredom. My pre-game experience would also be different without my ipod to listen to. If I had to choose, I'd have to get back to you, because these two things are things I wouldn't easily give up.
