The Dire Secret of Megan Rapinoe

Recently now-retired professional female soccer player Megan Rapinoe suffered a serious injury during her final game.

In a press conference immediately following she made the claim this would seem to indicate to her there is no higher power.

And the crowd went wild.

Personal Story Interlude

When this author was near the end of his elementary school career was a special ceremony honoring another child who had made it to that juncture without ever having missed a single day of instruction.

At the time I was dismissive. After all, the only thing she did was show up. It wasn't as if she drove herself to school, had a job, or any other of those other things which seemed to keep far more import.

Of course, it goes without saying, your correspondent was likewise a child.

Many years on it is clear now this consistency was indeed a monumental achievement. That little girl never missed due to illness. Never missed due to inconvenience of an absent ride. Never missed because someone forgot to pack her lunch. Never missed because she simply did not want to attend.

One often hears that half of life is showing up…but showing up consistently is the other half.

The point is — your views don't change with age so much as with experience.

Oh, The People You Will Hate!

There is almost nothing about Megan Rapinoe I find appealing.

From her colored hair to her confrontational lesbianism to her stridently ignorant politics which exist without nuance, if my assessment of this creature did not constitute "hate” it could at least view that emotion from its vantage place.

As a matter of fact, until a few days ago I would have likewise assented my loathing of her.

This is not uncommon and I hardly view myself as a social pariah. Most human interactions are reductive and that is particularly true when it comes to notable individuals.

I dare say half the country "hates” Megan Rapinoe…or evinces a reasonably good facsimile of it.

That most would fail to admit the depths of their derision is actually far worse than to openly acknowledge how despised she is by them.

Come the Deluge

Then I witnessed her interview and listened to her comments.

Obviously noxious in the extreme, the words were only outdone by the opprobrium.

Thinking about it all these past few days the more I have begun to re-evaluate, much as I have long since done concerning the little girl who relentlessly went to school day after day her entire life.

Who says what Rapinoe did?

Someone spiteful and combative? Maybe.

Someone wounded and despairing? Assuredly.

This is a human being injured in more ways than a twisted knee. When she was calling down blasphemy of The Almighty that was not the result of six minutes in her last game. Evidenced in those moments was a lifetime of pain encapsulated.

Given the way she "chooses” to live her years, it is obvious what happened to her as a youth.

Also, truth be told, in talking about unholy utterances this author has said much worse — only absent the microphones and cameras.

Fates Deserved and Otherwise

Among the more visceral of the reactions from those who dislike Rapinoe was that this was to "teach her a lesson” and that she "got what she deserved”.

Only…I don't know what lessons she needs and I don't know what she has earned.

As a matter of fact, I only know a cardboard persona. Most of it, I don't care for in the least. Yet when someone reaches out — which is often done in contrarian manners such as personal or deific insults — I do not see any benefit in slapping them down.

If I were to say anything to Rapinoe as I understand her today it would be, "You've had a tough break. I'll go to physical therapy with you, if you come to religious service with me. Then we'll see how we can heal together.”

And I mean it.

Those Dastardly Freemasons…

Hopefully not too many of the family jewels are revealed when one imparts that Freemasonry teaches any of us are about three unfortunate events away from toppling aloft the top of high living to the lowest depths of the gutter.

Sometimes we invite those bad breaks ourselves. Oftentimes they merely happen to us.

Whatever else you believe about existence, this is a valuable lesson: Anything can occur to anybody.

Thus is the real secret — I was about three random coincidences from being Megan Rapinoe.

The bigger secret — You were too.

I wish her none save full recovery.