It always amazes me
what draws people together...
it always astounds me
what people will do to feel something...
it always surprises me
what can be seen and what can be heard
when people become observers
as well as participants of a communal experience
of excitement and wonder...
it always fascinates me
what people are willing to do
when they are given the freedom
and the gift to be anything
and to say anything they want.

For centuries, crowds and audiences members
have stood, sat, cheered, and clapped
while watching fighters in a fight,
competitors in a competition,
players in a game face off against one another...
for all of time, there has been a race
between multiple sides in which
the object is to dominate and be the victor...
whenever there is a contest to out-do,
to out-play, and to overshadow someone else
there is always a start and a finish,
there are always winners
and there are always losers,
and sometimes when people bring their "A game"
they can even surprise themselves
with just how good they can be
when they put their all into that which they love...
whenever a particular moment arrives
for someone to shine like they have been
preparing to do for hours, for days,
for months, perhaps even for years,
players, athletes, thrill-seekers all
always find the strength, the speed,
the spirit, the will, the heart
to go as far as they can possibly go
like a rocket ship to the heavens above.

It can feel life-changing to be somewhere
with a multitude of people
at a once in a lifetime opportunity
to witness something phenomenal,
fulfilling, and magical...
it can be engrossing to feel as if
you are a part of something bigger
than you believe you are,
but at the same time something you feel
inextricably a part of -
as if you are staring at a piece of art in a gallery
and you feel like you can step inside the frame...
it can be entertaining, electrifying,
enlightening, enlivening, enriching
to be pulled into something that
while you are doing it looks
and most likely feels wonderful and enjoyable...
it can be hard to resist picking a team,
picking a side, picking a sport,
picking something to engage your attention in -
like one of the many encompassing
games of the world.