|
| Lord, shape me into a person who hastens not to see the future, but quickens to look back to the past. When I do so, grant me vision and wisdom to appreciate how you made use of my past encounters to embroider and accomplish me.
Once I forsook you after you released me from my bondage. May the Lord plant me a heart that no longer rebels, but yearns for staying close by your side. May your spirit keep on touching me to the core of my being, for it’s the moment that I feel the closest to you. Whenever I look back, may god bless. | | |
|
I can walk. I can stride. I can tiptoe for a long while.
But I cannot run for the time being.
I lost my balance when the right foot stepped on another’s before landing from a jump in a basketball game. As a result, I’ve got a muscle strain.
The strain leaves me in frustration. Just before the accident, I had enrolled in a 800m running race. Whereas I don’t fix my target at obtaining a medal, I do wish to better prepare myself for the competition. Discouraging enough, I haven’t yet started any training since the enrollment. Recently, there is a gloomy thought looms large in my mind: I may need to drop off from the Sports Day altogether.
More than once did I wake up in the middle of the night because the right foot went mildly paralyzed.
Wealth determines health. This is the deepest lesson I’ve learnt so far out of the incident. I would have consulted a doctor more frequently if my financial situation had allowed me.
| | |
| Coincidence adds spice to life. C happened to attend a briefing on a part-time job in Sheung Wan; I happened to be required to go back to the Pokfulam campus. This resulted in an unplanned reunion.
Sad to say, I greatly underestimated the time I had to spend on campus so that it was half an hour late when I met her at last. Much to my surprise, she brought along F, with whom we’re both well acquainted. At once, we set off for a quality teahouse which I highly recommended as it offers the best tea I know, by far, at a reasonable and affordable price. Although we managed to set foot on the teahouse, the waitress broke out a piece of disappointing news that the last order had already been called.
For compensation, I treated them to lunch at a nearby restaurant, which is famous for its fried pork noodle in Shanghais style. We chatted over an hour, signing in particular the pressure aroused by those dear and near us, who inadvertently imposed social norms on us, say expecting us to get a job after graduation. In her bag, C picked up a journal and asked us to catch a glimpse of an article featuring the idea of “gap year,” which encourages people to take a break from their routine job and to explore a community or place unfamiliar to them.
Afterwards, I took them to visit a kindhearted Taiwanese woman, who is running a beverage stall on 水街. Kindhearted, in the sense that she is used to adopting abandoned cats and dogs on the streets. My friends appeared to love the shop very much. C found the atmosphere resembles what she commonly saw in Tai Wan, where she just paid a visit a few weeks ago. We took some silly photos by not looking straight at the camera and pretending to give a natural pose at the same time. The ship-owner refused to get a penny from us for the DIY soya bean drinks she offered us.
The day would have passed much leisurely if I had been good at identifying roads. “Don’t worry. The journey was less physically demanding than climbing a mountain,” joked F. More than once I led them astray and had to make several u-turns.
My legs have turned sour. Do hope it won’t happen to you as well.
| | |
| 第一次睇觀浸籃球隊比賽。我挨在觀眾席護欄，直至第一節完結。
看到球隊好幾個嚴重漏洞，忍不住走落球場bench位坐下來。跟他們一點不熟，跟帶隊牧師只有數面之緣，也只與隊中幾名球員交談過幾句。所以，確實突兀……。
我由場邊嗌進場內，“補位”、“信心”、“揹人”，Time Out時也特別提點一兩名球員。後來回想，才察覺不自覺地把從前校隊大聲呼喊的風格呈現了出來。他們反應一般，有稍稍認識我的隊員在旁輕拍了我大髀一下，我當時解讀成“靜下來吧” 。騷擾了球隊嗎？到第三節，當我提點控球後衛，教練牧師提我，“比賽隊員通常聽不入耳，你提醒反而搞亂了他。”
球隊敗了。Evaluation環節，我也跟出去聽。可是，當其中一名隊員在戰術上提到我心底話時，我又忍不住補充了。
我很是心紥，臨走時跟牧師講聲sorry。“我不知道他們有沒有受到影響。”這位我很是欣賞的牧師，給了我極中肯的答覆。
衰咗……。回教會後，有機會跟珠珠傳道提起這事。“他們有一套打法啊。”我的愧疚也換來了一席難忘的話。她提到從前讀神學院，院牧提醒，要顧及人家步伐，若自以為是，後面就來箭了。
我捫心自問，確實不能排除當時有種pride驅使不請自來的我衝落場。事後，腦海也不住浮現穌哥的話，“凡自高的必降為卑，自卑的反升為高。”
我錯了，卻也珍惜這次犯錯經驗。 | | |
|
有男生披校褸兼且雙手插袋跟你賽100m，假如你輸掉，將會得出甚麼結論呢？
我不是賽跑的材料？
我腳痛（賴地硬）？
前港隊短跑代表楊弟兄（Edmond）說：“跑得快並不是天生的！”
說的不是龜兔賽跑寓言故事，而是烏龜變賓尼兔的真人真事。楊弟兄在14歲時就曾經慘敗給校褸插手男。
我參加了浸聯會舉辦的陸運會（800m + 跳遠），所屬的觀浸請來Edmond作賽前講座。在台下，我愈聽愈慚愧，不太敢再張揚自己是個“運動人”。
讀中學時，都算參加過田徑和長跑，但Edmond提到熱身方法啊肌肉的物理啊Ball of the foot啊等等，我都一曉不通……。
致怕貨比貨。我邊聽就邊慨嘆，從前中學做得不足了，栽培工作可以再pro一點。我搖頭，此刻才知，從前有點自生自滅。
P.S. 有兩個建議：
1. 教練牌──鼓勵高form師兄學習策略，再安排討論環節齊齊參加；
2. 師徒制──運動員的心理質素往往影響表演，以籃球為例，pair up甲組與丙組的控球後衛，在練波休息時段邊吹水邊傳授心得。 | | |
|
