Ah, the things we do for love.

My legs hurt.  It’s a good hurt.  It’s the kind of hurt that makes one feel like something has been accomplished.

The cause?  After a two-year sabatical, I have returned to something I love doing: I played ice hockey on Monday.

It was a low-pressure environment, just two hours of pick-up hockey at a rink in Cupertino, CA (better known as the location of Apple’s headquarters).  I was nervous: Would I remember how to skate?  Would I be able to stop any pucks?  Would I be horribly outclassed?  Fortunately, everything came back to me, and everybody was close enough in skill level to make it fun.  I met not with great embarrassment but with great fun.  I plan to play frequently in the future, and I don’t plan to give it up again so long as I am physically able. Thus, a truth:

I never should have stopped.

I love playing hockey.  I harbor no illusions about my skill level; I simply play because I enjoy it.  When I moved to California, I convinced myself that I would not have time for both hockey and grad school.  I believed that the rinks were all too far away, and surely I wouldn’t be welcomed if I went.  All of that seems ludicrous now.  I’m still kicking myself for quitting.

Here’s the upshot: Don’t stop doing what you love, and if you’re not already doing it, start.

Life is too short to make compromises.  We all grow older every day, and our windows of opportunity for doing what we love are small.  Why wait?