So, I found myself at Kings Park Stadium the other day. Wasn’t really planning on it, to be honest, but a mate had a spare ticket, and well, why not, eh? Durban can be pretty chill sometimes, and I hadn’t actually been to a game there in what feels like ages.
Walking in, the first thing that hits you is the noise. It’s not just the crowd shouting, but this, like, proper energy in the air. Thousands of people, all there, buzzing for the same thing. I managed to grab a beer, a bit overpriced as always, and found my seat. The game itself was decent, a lot of running back and forth, some good tackles. But if I’m being honest, I wasn’t just watching the players on the field.
It was the people, you see. Everyone so into it, yelling, laughing, a few choice words for the referee, you know how it goes. And it really got me thinking. For a while now, I’d been feeling a bit… well, flat. Like I was just going through the motions, day in, day out. Work, get home, stare at the TV, sleep. Then do it all over again. Sounds a bit grim when I say it like that, but there you have it.
This stadium, with all that roar and excitement, it was like a bit of a wake-up call. A good one, though. It reminded me that there’s this whole world of passion out there, actual stuff that gets people properly fired up. And it hit me, I hadn’t felt that fired up about anything myself in a long, long time. Not really, if I’m being truthful.
It’s a funny old thing, isn’t it? You go to watch a bunch of blokes chase an odd-shaped ball around a field, and you end up having a bit of an existential moment right there in your plastic seat. My job, well, it pays the bills, keeps a roof over my head. But real excitement? That feeling of being truly passionate about what you’re doing? Nah, not much of that going around in the world of spreadsheets and endless meetings, let me tell you.
I remember when I started my first proper job, must be donkey’s years ago now. I was full of beans back then, thought I was going to change the world, or at least my little corner of it. And then, slowly but surely, the daily grind just sort of wears you down. You stop looking for the big, exciting things and just focus on getting through the week, then the month.
That day at Kings Park, though. It was a proper kick up the backside. It really made me think that maybe, just maybe, I need to find something that gives me that kind of buzz again. I’m not saying I’m going to quit my job tomorrow and become a professional rugby supporter, nothing that drastic. But something. Maybe finally pick up that old guitar again, or actually finish one of those DIY projects I started in the garden and then just… well, left.
So yeah, Kings Park Stadium. I came for the rugby, but I reckon I left with a whole lot more thoughts brewing in my head than I expected. Still figuring out what to actually do with them, but it was a good reminder that there’s more to life than just ticking off the days on a calendar. Sometimes you just need a bit of noise and a massive crowd to shake things loose upstairs.
