Come Together to Inspire, Interact, Influence, and Impact.

x
Notifications
Log Out? Are you sure you want to log out?
Log Out
Caret Icon BookMark Icon <
Stephanie Lundquist-Arora
Stephanie Lundquist-Arora
December 7, 2022 - 3 minutes
facebook linkedin twitter telegram telegram
Something Fun

The Best Part of the World Cup

When you’re sitting in a car dealership lobby waiting for your vehicle to be serviced while fighting off a migraine, it takes a lot to inspire a genuine smile. In an unexpected treasure, I reveled in the happiness of players and spectators at the World Cup in Qatar.

While the fumes of tires and oil saturated the air, the South Korea v. Portugal game aired on screens across the waiting room. I’ve never been that interested in the World Cup, but it seems to permeate every conversation in our house at the moment. My sons, who play soccer, have their favorite players and teams, so I’m hearing and learning a lot about it now.

As I casually glanced at the dealership’s TV from time to time, I silently cheered for Portugal. As Cristiano Ronaldo’s biggest fan, my middle son takes Portugal’s wins and losses to heart. With only minutes left in the game, at a 1-1 deadlock, it seemed it would all come down to the dreaded penalty kicks.

Cristiano Ronaldo, playing for Portugal in the World Cup 2022.

UNTIL…..Son Heung-min brought the ball up the field past the defenders and passed it to Hwang Hee-chan. Hwang scored the final goal for a 2-1 victory. In celebration, Hwang immediately stripped off his jersey and flexed for the cameras. Not exactly the way I celebrate my victories, but hey – I get it. You gotta do what you gotta do. Along with his muscles, his pure happiness sprinted naked across the turf.

Hwang surrounded by his teammates after his game-winning goal.

For the next several minutes, the broadcaster panned to Korean spectators in their moment of victory. Most of them didn’t even know they were on camera – and their genuine ecstasy was palpable. They laughed, cried, thanked God, hugged each other, waved flags and cheered. In those moments, despite any differences in opinion or choices in life outside of the World Cup – they were all one in their state of utopia. It was absolutely beautiful.

Fans excited at a futbol game

The upset meant that Korea would be one of the final 16 teams. For a split second, I felt disappointed for my son about Portugal’s imminent loss in the match. But Portugal got to advance anyhow so everyone was fine in the end – (except Uruguay, I guess). But I left the dealership feeling happy. I know unity in ecstasy isn’t unique to this particular game, but it stood out to me here. I suppose observing that moment after the “big thing” is my favorite part of the World Cup. The jubilation of the spectators is contagious. I only wish we all could bottle that kind of happiness and take a sip when we needed it.

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora
Stephanie Lundquist-Arora
Back to Posts From HQ

More from Stephanie Lundquist-Arora

Opinion Fairfax County’s board of supervisors mocks Christians by designating Easter as Transgender Visibility Day

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora is a contributor for the Washington Examiner, a mother in Fairfax…

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora
Stephanie Lundquist-Arora March 28, 2024
Opinion Loudoun County School Board members appear to hate free speech

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora is a contributor for the Washington Examiner, a mother in Fairfax…

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora
Stephanie Lundquist-Arora March 26, 2024
Opinion Loudoun County School Board members are fighting against transparency

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora is a contributor for the Washington Examiner, a mother in Fairfax…

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora
Stephanie Lundquist-Arora March 22, 2024
Opinion Fairfax County Public Schools deceives taxpayers with per-pupil spending and legal expenses

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora is a contributor for the Washington Examiner, a mother in Fairfax…

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora
Stephanie Lundquist-Arora March 19, 2024
Read This A Tribute to Winsome Sears

Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears (R) is making history in Virginia. Born in…

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora
Stephanie Lundquist-Arora March 14, 2024

Related Posts by IWN

Read This A Tribute to Winsome Sears

Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears (R) is making history in Virginia. Born in…

Stephanie Lundquist-Arora
Stephanie Lundquist-Arora March 14, 2024
Something Fun 11 Female-Centric Flicks You Need To Stream During Women’s History Month

Pop some popcorn and settle into the comfiest spot on your sofa…

Andrea Mew
Andrea Mew March 11, 2024
Share This Books You Should Gift Your School Library

The media continues to claim that school libraries and classrooms are “banning”…

Makenna McCoy
Makenna McCoy February 20, 2024
Something Fun Christmas and Citrus

Editor’s note: Last year, one of my dear friends shared a unique…

McKenzie Holmes
McKenzie Holmes December 22, 2023
Something Fun Does Taylor Swift Deserve to be Time’s Woman of the Year?

I saw a scathing review of Taylor Swift this week and found…

Ericka Andersen
Ericka Andersen December 14, 2023