Yesterday Spain defeated France 2-0 in the semi-final of the World Cup.  Kylian Mbappé, the captain of Les Bleus, was devastated.  He had given all the physical and emotional that he had.

After the game, he had this to say:

Now, it is something we have to face with our heads held high.  I believe that when you win, you win with your head held high; so when you lose, you have to lose with your head held high, too.

The crush of defeat surrounded Kylian, and still he had the grace to utter these words.

So Kylian teaches me.

When all is going wrong, where is my chin?  Pointed to the floor?  Or facing straight ahead?

And what of the rest of my body?

My arms.  Crossed?  Hands on the hips?  Or simply hanging loose by my sides?

My mouth.  Forced down, becoming stone?  Or loose and curling up at the corners?  Perhaps softly at rest.

My legs.  Kicking out at life?  Rigid in the knees?  Or bending just a bit as they flow over the Earth?

My toes.  Scrunched tight into the floor?  Or enjoying the wee space between each one?

And … the mind.  Crammed with pokey thoughts of ill will?  Or on the river of life: feeling the momentum, and the support of the water?

***

I sense that even in the darkest times

Kylian Mbappé’s body knows what to do