The Tao of Rugby

Just wanted to blog about a couple of things before I head off to bed tonight. First, I finished my book tonight. I was reading “A Scanner Darkly” before I joined a book club and was never able to finish it, but I did tonight. For those of you who are familiar with the book…I think rugby—these camps, the little worlds we enter—can be like Substance D (without the permanent psychosis). What I mean is that, we loose touch with our lives a little. Our jobs, our families seem as though a dream, a hallucination. Our reality is split into the freakish rugby world—a world of (p)recovery, competition, recovery, meetings, video, nutrition, treatment, etc—and a reverie of home. It is so important, in this environment, to stay in touch with our other life, and when we’ve returned to said life, to embrace the rugby lifestyle. A balance is what I speak of, my dears.

My roomie, Bui, and I both brought copies of the Tao Te Ching to camp, and I was telling her about one of my favorite chapters today (chapter 23, if you want to look it up). I’d like to share with you chapter 9:

Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people's approval
and you will be their prisoner.

Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity.

On a lighter note, our (a bunch of the Great White gals) lunch today included what was probably the best rugby-mealtime-topical discussion ever. I can’t really say what it was (the Masons are rubbing off on us) we discussed, but it was hilarious. Also, at dinner, the band campers were sporting some very festive and patriotic gear—big Ole Glory polo shirts. Shaina’s conversation with one such camper:

Shaina—Hey, I’ll swap you shirts.

Camper—Well, I don’t really know if I can. You see, we’re supposed to wear these tomorrow for…

Shaina—Look, if it’s a “no,” just tell me, because there are a lot more of you I need to ask if that’s the case.