Although my soccer team secured another win this morning, I left the game in the closing minutes with a pulled hamstring muscle. Over the years I have been plagued by such injuries. Once you damage these muscles they develop scar tissue which is prone to re-injury. As a coping strategy, I have learned to throttle my speed to 95%. At this point in the game, however, I ran past a pair of defenders onto a very nicely played through-ball. In order to line up for what would have been a very easy shot on goal I had to max out at 100% and in that moment I felt my hamstring let go. I was smart enough to pull back immediately and in so doing minimized the severity of the injury. So far this feels like a 2-3 week recovery rather than the end of my season. I used the balance of the day to begin selling several tripods which seem to multiply in this house like rabbits although it could have more to do with the fact that I purchased two more yesterday.

Nicolai spoke at our church this morning on the value of international service as a means to connect with the broader world and to appreciate how fortunate we are. Maya was kind enough to make a video which allowed me to see his presentation.