Field Notes: Practice Over Podiums
What gymnastics taught me about transformation — and why I don’t want the system’s trophy.
Practice, Not Podiums
I left the house five times this week — which means, I think, I can officially retire the “agoraphobia” title I’d been quietly carrying around. It’s been slow going, but this week brought three yoga classes, one AA meeting where I talked everyone’s ears off about emotional sobriety (sorry, not sorry), a grocery store run, and — wait for it — a high school football game.
This wasn’t just any game. It was my best friend’s son’s, and I hadn’t seen her in person for at least four years. She lives three hours away, but we only had to drive about an hour — the game was in a little town outside Salem. It was an away game for them, a big deal for me. I didn’t watch much football (sorry, kiddo), but I survived the social overload thanks to a footlong hot dog and a Baby Ruth. And honestly? That felt like a win.
That’s what I keep circling back to lately: not the performance, but the presence.…
