Unfulfilled Hobby.

This is my response to "WE79 Post Topics: You and Your Hobbies" You can also join the challenge here.

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Special shout out to @galenkp for this opportunity to share... This one particularly struck me even more as it's a hobby I love but couldn't profit from anymore.

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Topic:

Tell us what your hobby is, why you enjoy it, how you do it and what you need to make it happen, what's involved, how it makes you feel when engaging with it or anything else you'd like to share about it. Blogging on hive and playing Splinterlands is excluded from the topic.

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I grew up loving football and everyone in my street knew how much I loved playing football, even my late dad. I would get back from school, drop my bag and with a hungry stomach, rush to a nearby field just to have a rush of that adrenaline.

I've always been a fast person. I run fast which gives me an advantage when I play on the wings. Number 7 position is my favourite as I could beat people with pace and make a delivery into the box for the striker to finish off. Apart from being so good with my feet and delivery, I used to strike the ball cleanly with a devastating effect that leaves opposition players screaming at their teammates not to ever allow me to get the chance to shoot.

After I finished secondary school, I told my dad that I would love to play football professionally. I begged him to get me the Pepsi Football Academy form (it was a big deal back then) and surprisingly he gave his consent. I was eagerly anticipating his return from work that day because of the form and I want to fill it as fast as I could.

He got back home with the brown envelope and as I opened it, it was a University degree form in a private University and my heart sank. I was angry and I couldn't stop the tears from flowing because I knew if I missed the opportunity to play football professionally at that time, there won't be another opportunity to turn this hobby into a profitable venture.

I went to University and it wasn't until my final year when I took part in a competition before people really knew how good I was. I showed my individual brilliance and got the audience excited with my flick and pace. I got an assist in the match too.

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I went for my one year mandatory service year and I felt I could at least salvage something from this hobby but nothing professionally anymore as I was only playing for fun now. I played at the camp and it was a wonderful feeling to touch the ball, run with it and dictate to the ball what I want it to do and where I want it to go.

After my service year, I still played football in my area for the fun of it until I joined my local Church where we came together to form a team that I was part of. We trained every Saturday in my former City and also go to competitive matches too.

There is so much to love about football and I love how you have that feeling of satisfaction after having a good game. I love it because it is a game of emotions as it allows you to know how best to act under pressure. I have failed many times when it comes to bulking under pressure especially when we lose or by my standard, I felt I didn't have a good game.

I love it because it allows me to understand my opponent, plan on how to get past him and it helps me anticipate the runs of my teammates while also understanding movements. Apart from being a game of emotions, I see it as a game of planning and of wits - where you anticipate, plan and try to solve a problem. Football isn't just about 20 men running after the ball as most people who are not keen on football thinks, it's about finishing a solution. It allows you to think strategically on how to unlock your opponent's defence while also guarding your home. It's a game that requires techniques and physicality which makes me fall in love with the hobby of playing football.

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I never pass up any opportunity to play football when the opportunity arises even if I had to play it at the beach, I would. It's a shame that I couldn't turn my hobby into a profit by playing professionally because I have crossed the age that would allow me to do that. I wouldn't want to lie about my age either by reducing it to play the game I love because it would mean losing my love for it when I get found out and I don't want that. Even if I choose to lie about it, what message would I be passing to my friends and those who have known me? I would rather lose this than bring my reputation to disrepute.

I am passionate about football (soccer as the Americans would call it) and apart from writing, football and counselling are the other things that comes naturally to me without much fuss. Football is life...to me, football is passion... It's a game that unites people and because it's a game of emotions, it's a game that would stir up your feelings and I likened it to life because situations would always happen in life to knock us out, how we manage our feelings and maintain a cool head despite our emotions wanting to boil over would always stand us in good stead.

I may not have fulfilled my dream of playing professionally by turning my hobby into profit but football remains one of the things that gives me so much joy when I am on the round leather.

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Thank you for your time.

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My pen doesn't bleed, it speaks, with speed and ease.

Still me,

My tongue is like the pen of a ready writer.

Olawalium; (Love's chemical content, in human form). Take a dose today: doctor's order.