Athena

I was at badminton one time and did the usual Sunday-morning badminton routine: sit around on my arse for about an hour before actually getting up and playing a few games. Athena was among the group of people with whom I normally play and we played about as well as we usually did. Lunch time rolled around and Athena suddenly developed a craving for a burger (oddly enough for an aspiring vegetarian) and thus turned to her mum to ask if they could go. Her mum says "Burger King?" looks around, sees me, turns back to her daughter and says, "Well, you can ask Jon if he's willing to take you to Burger King."

For some reason, that incident always makes me consider how recreational sports can ignore age gaps that are generally more unheard of when we're in school. Athena's 17 - probably the youngest among every I consider a friend - but we first started playing badminton together when she was 15 (I was 21 at the time). You see, it's funny how you get lumped into the "kids" category when you're part of a badminton club because really, you're categorized based on your style of play; and really, from the age of 12 to probably your mid-late 20s, your style is the same: "fast". And as long as your parents are part of the same "generation," then the two of you are, technically, part of the same generation too.

Athena is a quirky sort of person and this personality actually comes through on the court, though it's hard to explain unless you're actually watching the game in progress. She's carries these wonderful quirks off the court too and she has the way of being intensely passionate about some topics without actually being loud about it - a subdued sort of passion, if you will - and I find it a nice quality about her. It's like you can always get an idea of the things that are important to her without feeling like she's being aggressive about it.

She plans on going to Queen's next year - always a sign of good decision making skills.

Athena also has this quality that - if I am to believe my mum - is very much like how my dad shows that he cares about someone. Athena isn't really the kind of person who outright shows emotion or tells you that she's happy to see you or that she misses you. However, if you take notice of her actions, she always has a way of showing you that she's happy to be around you - whether that is something as simple as asking you to do something with her or delaying her departure until you're ready to leave too. She really is one of those actions-speak-louder-than-words people - but you have to notice her actions to understand this. Once people do, I think you'd come to see that she's a kind, quirky, and charming person who - in her own quiet way - is capable of an enormous amount of empathy. Just talk to her about a sad situation and you'll see what I mean.

Did I mention she's pretty good at badminton? Yeah, that's a rare quality in girls. Just sayin'