”What was the hardest thing you left behind in the Philippines?” a client asked me today.

Without hesitation, I gave an answer. After it slipped out of my tongue, a sudden surge of sadness came to me and I realized how much I’ve missed that part of my life.

The hardest thing I had to part with when I was packing for Abu Dhabi was my Mizuno soccer cleats.

You have to understand that it took me forever to have my own soccer shoes. I was poor in college that I couldn’t afford to buy myself a pair.

The first soccer shoes I had was one of my dad’s bring-homes from a surplus store in the US. It was a worn-out pair of Adidas spikes, several inches bigger than my feet. With it I learned my first kicks, practiced my passes and made my first goal.

It’s successors were hand-me-downs from my teammates. Since they were kind enough to let me borrow or keep their extra cleats, I was not allowed to complain on the varying sizes.

Some of my games were played with all my toes curled inward (after these games, I had to pry my red toes away from each other) and some with my feet sliding back and forth inside. Sometimes I smuggle in cotton balls  just to keep my feet from doing acrobatics inside.

In several tournaments, I would experiment on different socks each game just to find the right fit. This was better than my games played with rolls of tape holding my shoes together.

Up until my 3rd year in college, I didn’t have my own soccer cleats. So one day, while holding my rent money, I decided to do a little evil and end my agony. (Sorry, mama, you have to learn it from here. Yes, I spent my July 2008 rent money on soccer shoes. Forgive me)

I travelled all the way to Paseo de Magallanes where the main Mizuno branch was. I may be an Adidas addict but when it comes to soccer shoes, this wins all:

After 4 long years of blisters and sprains, I was a proud owner of a soccer cleats that fitted me just right. I was running faster and controlling better. The feeling was spectacular. I realized the comfort I had been missing all those years.

2 years later I carefully placed it back into it’s box and handed it over to the most disorganized person in the whole wide world, my sister. But I love her too much that I still chose her. I hoped that somehow, a little of my passion would be passed on to her.

 

All my gears had been laid to rest. As I write this post, I remember all my teammates who gave me my soccer needs. More than the stuffs you shared, I hold to my heart the kindness and unselfishness you showed me.

”That’s ok, you can buy a new one,” responded my client.

Yeah, I may, BUT nothing beats my FIRST cleats.