Lilly

I’ve always been prone to minor injuries: tweaked hamstrings, tight hip muscles, nagging back pain. They persist no matter how much I stretch, or how much water I gulp down—but they never take me out of the game entirely, which is why this one has been such a shock. Since I started playing year-round, soccer has been so closely intertwined with my life that even a few weeks off makes a huge difference.

Until I can run comfortably again, my parents have forbidden the level of intense physical activity that I usually embrace. I’m left with all this energy that I can’t direct towards my sport. I’ve thrown myself headfirst into activities I haven’t touched on for a while: reading heavy physics books pilfered from the local library, cleaning my room from top to bottom, and—of course—rehabilitating this tweak in my hip. My physical therapy exercises take almost an hour every night, but I grit my teeth and push myself to that limit.

I am willing to do almost anything to speed up my recovery. The fact that such a small, insignificant injury can render me helpless is frustrating, and rebuilding my strength is the only way I know to combat it. I have to look at ways to prevent future injuries—future breaks from the sport that keeps me going. I have the elbow room to do that now. After all, it’s going to take a few weeks. ♦