the big FIGHT

a couple weeks ago, krysten called and asked if i could get a saturday off work for some big fight she got VIP tickets to...unfortunately, my boss did not give me the day off (i later called in sick, but that's not the point), but krysten still told me I WAS GOING not matter what. so the fight was this weekend...krysten and i left at 6am on saturday morning to drive from LA to san jose. and let me just say i LOVE road tripping with krysten...except for the time when i woke up from a nap and she was slapping herself in the face to try and stay awake, not good. krysten drove the entire way, which i feel bad about, but she didn't ask me or anything, so i just sat there, enjoying the ride, singing along to the music and telling "remember when" stories. we made it to san jose by 11:30 or so, just in time for lunch with my dad. in the afternoon, i took a little nap and then got ready to drive to Sacramento for the big wec fight. i'm pretty sure we were some of the nicer dressed people at the fight...i was a little uncomfortable, but whatever, i still enjoyed the experience.

i really didn't know what to expect...i mean, i don't watch fighting, or boxing, or wrestling, or anything that involves others voluntarily getting hurt. so let's just say i was SHOCKED the first couple fights...meanwhile, krysten's having the time of her life next to me watching all these people get punched and kicked, and "put to sleep." i thought it was going to be a lonnnnnnng night. by the last few fights, i would pick people to cheer for based on the little bio they show before the fighters come out to the ring, and sometimes my guy would win and other times he would tap-out within the first round...but it made the night more enjoyable.

the last fight was aldo vs. faber. faber was definitely the underdog, but also the hometown crowd favorite. the fight went all the way to 5 rounds, and aldo won pretty easily...i was just amazed that faber lasted to whole fight. it seemed like his leg got kicked out pretty bad in the second round, but he kept on fighting.

towards the end of round 4, aldo had faber pinned to the ground and just kept punching him over and over in the face...it was sooooo difficult to watch, and i thought for sure faber would either get knocked-out or he would tap out to end the fight. but he didn't. he somehow endured all that and made it. with 40 or so seconds left, it felt like the crowd believed he could make it out of this round, so everyone started cheering and standing up, encouraging faber to keep holding on, even when he was stuck and getting punched repeatedly...and he made it.

after is experience, i was talking with a pastor and was able to draw an analogy from this fight to my own life (if you couldn't tell, i LOVE analogies). i feel like the past 5 years, i've been fighting to survive, and a lot of the time, i feel like i've been pinned down, repeatedly getting "punched in the face" (with lies, deception, betrayal, manipulation). early on in my healing process, i feel like i "sugar coated" the pain i had...not really wanting to accept it, but this visual picture, something i couldn't even bear to watch, just depicts everything i've gone through, suffered through, these past few years.

i don't want to be punched in the face anymore...i don't even want to be in the fighting ring anymore...i just want to be free...free to live

p.s. krysten, thanks for taking me to the fight...i'll remember it FOREVER!!!