Don’t Just Join For The Gatorade

The year was 2002, and it was the first game of the pee-wee soccer season. So many small children everywhere… Half of them were playing the game, one quarter were picking their noses and standing in one place, and the remaining quarter not even paying attention. And there was me. I was a part of the last quarter. I literally had no idea what the heck was going on. The only thing I knew what to do was to just kick. Kick-kick-kick! That’s all I did. But I wasn’t even kicking the ball. I just kept moving my legs, hoping I would end up hitting the ball.

There actually was a reason I was there: Gatorade. Yes, Gatorade. You are not reading anything wrong, I actually only joined the soccer team so I could drink Gatorade, the sticky sports drink filled with sugar that makes your teeth hurt. I think I was so obsessed with the drink in the first place because I had rarely had it at my house. I guess that I had just really craved it all the time. During the game, I was on the bench, dangling my legs, tapping my knees, wanting a Gatorade. So, I got up and asked the coach if I could get something to drink. He said no.

I continued asking. He was annoyed, and finally just gave me a big, loud, “NO!” That had struck me. Being the then-bratty child that I was, I gave him a You-will-regret-this-look. I then, arms crossed, just walked into the middle of the field, and sat down. Just sat down. Everyone was in shock as kids passed me, looking oddly. I had ruined the soccer game all because I had wanted a $2.00 sports drink. I had realized my mistake later that day. I did not even like soccer in the first place.

I believe that people should join something because they want to, not because they benefit from something on the side. People need to realize that they should do things they love, not things they pretend to love. For example, there are many kids at my school who joined choir because they wanted to go to Disneyland at the end of the year. Well, to me, one day of fun does not make up for months of boredom and misery.

I would want to join something that interests me, not just for the supplied coffee and donuts. I would want to join a group for the main event, not for the yearbook picture provided. I would want to be friends with somebody because of the way they act, not for a better (or worse) reputation in a future path. Now I ask, wouldn’t you?