Eliza Quackenbush ’25. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.
The final buzzer sounded, and my skates slowed as I neared the net in my best attempt to keep our season alive for one more game. The sound of the other team cheering on the bench and pouring onto the ice. They made it to the finals, and I had just played my last period of Northwood hockey, ever.
The silence in the locker room was deafening, a silence that was soon broken with soft sobs and the sound of heartbreak. It wasn’t just the loss that made for these tears, but the fact that leaving this locker room would mean taking off the Northwood jersey I had worn with pride for the last three years. There was nothing like it.
After a time, players began to pack their bags and leave the locker room, never to be with that group again. Soon, there were 6. The six who couldn’t bear to take their jerseys off, the six who sat in the locker room and cried, who talked and made jokes, then cried some more. We were present with each other, and it will stay a moment I will never forget.
This is the power of presence. How being connected and intent with the people you are with creates a bond that makes the last so much harder. The last game, period, second. The previous locker room songs, warmup, and bus rides. And being able to appreciate these things when there are no more makes you grateful that you were present when it was in action.
Be present with your friends, no matter what stage of life you are in. Be present with your family and acknowledge how much they have done for you. Be present with yourself, know your feelings and intentions towards everyone, and how you want to be portrayed. Be present with life and appreciate all you have, and know that the harder the goodbye, the more present and connected you were. And there is nothing more powerful than having something so good that it hurts to say goodbye.
The 2024-25 Girls’ Hockey Team. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.
