The Importance of Being HERE

I was a soccer player in my former life ( a goalkeeper). One of my goalkeeping idols back in the day was New York Cosmos goalie Shep Messing. Shep was a pretty wild and flamboyant guy and a brilliant goalkeeper. I had the pleasure of connecting with him a few years ago and he made a comment to me which turned out to be sort of like a mantra for me and is actually great advice. He said that after so many years of playing such a high level of international soccer, he is now content to practice yoga and is happy to just be where his feet are. “Be where your feet are”. THAT is such a powerful statement when we think about the importance of living your life in the moment. I find myself repeating that when things start to get away from me. Often times we get so caught up in the millions of thoughts and plans that race through our minds on a daily basis that we forget about the things that are right in front of us. I find myself also using this mantra while racing and training when things start to feel just a little “off”.

Side note – My other goalkeeping idol back then was a young kid right from the Philly area. A goalie out of Ridley High School named Bobby Rigby. Bobby led the surge of the rebirth of American Soccer and graced the cover of Sports Illustrated Magazine in 1973. After his long and illustrious career, it’s nice to find Bob right back at Ridley High School giving back and paying things forward as a school counselor. Rigs is another guy that I have been fortunate enough to connect with at this stage in my life. He is a great guy making a difference.