Notes From the Field: RSVP ‘Yes’

 

Erin Matson is a Tar Heel, world-class athlete, team player and champion. Here, in “Notes From the Field,” she’ll be sharing some of her thoughts in an ongoing series set to cover anything and everything on her mind. You can find the full series so far here, on Chapelboro.

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There’s somethin’ about Cali, man. (I hope you read that in a surfer-dude accent.) But, right?!

I’m not sure if it’s the palm trees and the breathtaking coastlines? Maybe it’s the non-existent humidity and beautiful sunshine. Or it could all be a total placebo effect, and we just get caught up in the oohs and aahs of the West Coast way of life.

It’s different to some of us. New, relaxing, and inviting. But also simply unique.

This past weekend UNCFH took a quick trip across the country to The Golden State. The team hasn’t done the “Cali Trip” in a long time due to the craziness of the past few years, and the excitement was real.

I mean, just the bus ride to our hotel was filled with “Hey, there’s Alcatraz!” and “Look, that’s the Golden Gate Bridge!” For some of the girls, it was their first time even on the other side of the country.

We were there to take care of business. We knew that, and Coach was constantly reminding us.

But this was cool! None of us on the team had done this together before. It was a big weekend for us, field-hockey-wise and memories-that’ll-last-a-lifetime-wise.

Like most things, it got me thinking.

We’ve talked briefly about all the places field hockey has taken me due to it primarily being an international game. But by “places,” I usually mean countries. 14 to be specific. More than half of them I’ve been back to two or three times on separate occasions.

I’ve been thrown into all kinds of different lifestyles and cultures while traveling with my teams. And it’s even opened my eyes to respect, learn from, and appreciate foreign ways of life even when I’m traveling and not playing.

We’ll leave it at that for now, since I could ramble on about where around the world my sport has taken me and why I’m so grateful. Maybe another day…

But I never thought about including states, and I especially never dared to try and keep track of cities. However, they all are different, aren’t they? All their own.

Each destination brings along new memories and adventures. Asia doesn’t give off the same vibe as South America. Christchurch, New Zealand doesn’t share much in common with Bhubaneswar, India. And Palo Alto, CA is even pretty far off from Chapel Hill, NC.

But who’s complaining about that?!

While every continent, country, state, and city is vastly different from any other – in many ways or just one, they all share in giving us one thing: an open invitation to explore and admire.

This weekend was a reminder for all of us to never hesitate to appreciate each new destination, no matter how “extravagant” or not it may seem at the start.

We did what we needed to do on the pitch, and we had fun doing it together. But we also jumped at the chance to have a look at everything California had to offer. It was intriguing, exciting, and important.

No two places are exactly alike – no matter how close or far they are from one another on a map. And you don’t need to concoct an elaborate plan to give them your attention. The invitation will always be there waiting for your response.

Whether it’s jumping on a plane or taking an Uber to the next town over, don’t pass up the opportunity to see the beauty that’s right in front of you.

There is so much of it in our world. And noticing the palm trees and coastlines means you’re just scratching the surface.

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