One door closes…

You know how when something bad happens in your life there is always someone there to pick you up?  There is always someone there to utter the gibberish about how one door must close for another to open?  When you are feeling down you can’t always believe in those mantras and you may feel they say those things just to make you feel better, but I think I’m going to start being that crazy person… and I’m going to mean it. Hear me out, cuz I can’t make this stuff up.

The most amazing thing happened to me this past week.  After the breakup on Thursday I was at my friend’s baby shower talking about how I teach ESL (English as a Second Language) in Germany on top of my basketball job and she mentioned an opening at her school for just that sort of thing.  I called to apply on Monday, got an interview on Tuesday, and got a job offer on Wednesday!  Less than a week after feeling one of the lowest of my life, I was at one of my highest.  If I was still in a relationship and living in southern Maine I never would have applied for this job in central Maine and I never would have discovered that I could do something like this.

With the breakup, I also had to decide not to play on our coed basketball team that plays once a week and was something I had planned on for the spring and summer.  I felt like my other teammates were our kids in a divorce or something, he’ll get to play basketball with them and hopefully I can meet up with them outside of that.  So not only did I lose my boyfriend but I lost the opportunity to play basketball (which I need for my job).  I didn’t realize that I had only lost THAT opportunity to play until I got to meet up with a friend I hadn’t seen in years.  She hooked me up with some pickup basketball and even doubled it: with her I’m playing two times a week.

Normally there is too much time between a negative experience in your life and a positive opportunity for you to realize that they are somehow related.  Maybe you didn’t get into your first choice of college but three years later at your second choice you met the love of your life.  Maybe you didn’t make the baseball team in junior high but your senior year in high school you won states in the shot put for track.  Something had to happen for you to try something else.  You had a certain path for your life in mind and maybe you had blinders on disabling you from seeing other opportunities.

My advice, is if you are feeling down don’t close yourself off.  Go out there and listen for opportunities, take chances, do things you never imagined you would.  On that note, I’m heading to Boston tomorrow morning to try out for Big Brother at their open casting calls; a week ago I would have said my luck didn’t favor any kind of “win”… now it might just be the opposite.

Danielle Clark

About Danielle Clark

I am 28 years old and for 5 years out of college I played basketball for a living. I was a professional basketball player in Europe so I spent most of my years there and came back to Maine for summers and a couple weeks at Christmas time. I thought my years there would open my eyes to what I want to be when I "grow up." That didn't happen. I have discovered, however, that I just have to try something. Just do things and toss myself into them. I have currently tossed myself into being a college basketball assistant coach and one on one reading tutor. I grew up in Corinna, Maine and have been a resident Mainer. I love sports, reading, writing, cooking, baking, watching movies... everything. I have lots of hobbies and not enough time in the day!