There’s a weekly pickup football (soccer) game in Charlotte, VT that has been played more or less continuously since 2007. If the weather is decent and the field is dry, we play. Over the years, we have seen kids grow up, players come and go, but most of all we have enjoyed a wonderful run of beautiful games. With very little in the way of formal organization, the game has continued every year. Sundays at 4pm you can find us at the Central School, and during long summer daylight hours, there’s a Wednesday 6pm game as well.
This past weekend, we played on the edge of passing thunderstorms. The dark clouds and downpours were passing us by to north and south – the magical microclimate of Charlotte in full effect, what I have heard called the ‘banana crescent’ of the Champlain Valley. It was an epic setting for a game of 6v6.
We had about an hour of quality playing time as storms passed us. And then the rain arrived. It was like slow-motion … first we heard the rain in the nearby woods, pouring down a stone’s throw from the field while we stood there… and then the sky opened and we started to get drenched. Still, we played on, enjoying the heat finally breaking after days of humidity.
Until the lightning. Simultaneous bolts struck in 3 directions and thunder rumbled almost immediately, with that distinctive crackle that indicates how close it was. We all looked at each other and immediately walked off the field and back to the safety of our cars. A beautiful game indeed, but only when it’s safe to do so.
And so it goes with our little pick-up game – a persistent, loosely held community of players who self-organize around a shared interest. A group working with unspoken agreements, of temporary alignments based on the color of the shirt you’re wearing when you show up. A real gift that we give ourselves and each other, week in and week out. A gratitude practice.
And we sometimes start on time (not that it will matter anyway)
We play through rain or shine (except in case of lightning naturally)
Long ball flies, grab that prize
On a summer day so fine
And it’s here on this football pitch
I take my final form….