Back to some posts on being a basketball wife. I last wrote about Setbacks, but before I get too off-track, I wanted to write about what Dr. Ortiz calls being “the last to know: coping with life-changing events.” In her comments, Erin indicated that she has been fortunate in that her husband has not been injured often, and he phones immediately after games, so she is kept more abreast of what is happening. I would say we fall on the other end of the spectrum in our household. Unfortunately, Kevin has suffered some injuries, and other than when he tore his achilles, I have not been with him when it happened. Some injuries have been more severe than others.
More than once I have found out about Kevin’s health through the newspaper, online forums, and the radio. Take this past season– just last month, I made it to work and went to check the score of the game. On the forum, I found out that Kevin had been injured in the game and did not return after the injury. I was unable to reach him immediately, so I sat and waited– admittedly impatient!
Most of Dr. Ortiz’s discussion revolves around trades, which we are fortunate to never truly to have been blind-sided by (for us, I would say that is more like being cut or released, because rarely do basketball teams overseas “trade” players) such a situation. However, many of the emotions and reactions in the article have been my own. I see the parallels in that I never expect Kevin to become injured. He was having a great season this past year, feeling great, so why would I think something would go wrong? I was comfortable in the situation…and then the last to know.
As the years go by, I improve upon my coping mechanisms. Rather than hiding emotion and getting angry, I tend to put what has happened behind me and work towards whatever is next. With injuries, I trust Kevin to care for himself (ok, and gently remind him to do so) and say some extra prayers.
Could you imagine finding out on the radio that something has happened to your spouse? On a message board that your husband has lost his job? Crazy! Yet this is the life we live!
